Chapter 1: A Box of Rice

 I always hated the sounds of helicopters approaching their destination. Wherever a helicopter went, mass slaughter was guaranteed to follow. I sighed as I looked around the park. What had once been a place of merriment would soon be a battlefield. That may be why they chose it.

I looked behind me to see those I had brought with me. A few hundred men and women of varying ages, all wearing black shirts, urban camo pants, and black boots, were armed to the teeth with bladed and blunt weapons. I smiled as they met my stare with a resolve like steel. I regretted that I wouldn't be able to take all of them home.

I started back at the mass of people in front of me. They were separated into groups, all eyeing opposing forces like starving predators. Everyone at this park held a large bag. A few openly bayed for blood, as if the upcoming conflict was something they looked forward to. 

There wasn't a person who didn't have at least one weapon. My heart dropped when I noticed young children with some of them. Are things so bad in some of the gangs they have to resort to using kids?

"Blaise," came a stern and calculating voice to my left. I turned my head to see a buff Asian woman. The sides of her head were shaved, and her black hair was styled in a mohawk. Her brown eyes studied me intensely. Her skin was decorated with various tattoos. She was lithe and sturdy, reminding me of a wildcat.

She wore a long-sleeved black shirt, urban camo pants, and black combat boots. Gleaming earrings hung in her ears. Her bottom lip and nose were also pierced. Sheathed knives were tucked into her waistband, and she held a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire.

"What supplies should we prioritize?" she asked. I looked at the sky as the sounds of the helicopters came closer, clenching my crowbar tightly.

"We have several sick people back home.  Red Fever hit us hard last winter, and many are still recovering. Focus on getting medical supplies. And food as well." My enforcer nodded her head in agreement. A rough and raspy man's voice sounded from my right.

"Can't we just light everyone up and take all the supplies for ourselves?" My attention was drawn to a heavy-set man wearing a black tank, urban camo pants, a marching bandana on his head, and black combat boots. His pale white skin was covered in various tattoos. 

"No one is allowed to use guns for supply drops, Colton," I told my second in command. "You know that."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it regardless," Colton pointed out. I didn't mind him questioning me. It was one of the reasons I kept him around.

"Don't be stupid!" Sonya snapped with a glare at him. "That would be violating the Code of the Street. Were we to do that, The Cured would come for us." Those within earshot furrowed their brows upon hearing that. 

The Cured were the highest authority in Twilight City. They were happy to let the citizens of the city suffer, as they believed suffering was the price one had to pay for enlightenment and betterment of oneself. Those who had not suffered enough were forced to live in giant slums like Twilight City, having to do what it took just to survive. Those who violated their Code of the Street were taken away, never to be seen again. No one knew where they were taken, but no one had ever returned.

Colton sighed as he stared at the skies. I followed his gaze to see the helicopters hovering above the large assembly of people. Nervous tension spread throughout my body as it began raining wooden crates. They smashed on the ground, revealing mounds of varying essential supplies. 

The air filled with excited yells and shouts from the numerous groups of people as the pile of supplies increased. Once all the items had been unloaded, the helicopters flew away in a hurry as if their pilots could sense the bloodlust that hung in the air. That's when the hell broke loose.

With a collective war cry, everyone rushed the supplies at once. In mere moments, violence began to break out. Groups of people started to bludgeon each other to take or defend their items. Cries of agony, terror, and a few filled the air, combining into a symphony. 

I swung my crowbar into the right arm of a man wearing orange and white. He cried out in pain and gave me a hateful stare. I didn't let him swing his baseball bat before I commented with my crowbar again. I continued to batter him until his arm was covered in blood.

"Drop it," I commanded, indicating the box of medication he held. He responded by spitting at me, earning a strike from my crowbar to his right eye. He howled and fell to his knees, clutching his face. I pried the medication from his grip and focused my attention on the mass of people, planning my next attack. 

"Don't move, mister!" came a high-pitched voice behind me. I turned around to see a boy who looked no older than eight. He held a sharpened screwdriver in trembling hands. 

"This is for my brother!" he yelled, rushing towards me. He didn't get very far before I kicked him in the stomach as hard as I could. The boy struggled to catch his breath. Without saying a word, I took his screwdriver and entered the fray. 

Blood soaked the green grass. Any sense of reason and order was done. It was a free-for-all where the only rule was to kill or be killed. Whenever people weren't attacking or defending, they were frantically filling their bags with whatever they could get their hands on. Those who had come to the supply drop without the support of a gang quickly met their end.

I yelped as something sharp slashed my cheek, causing blood to flow. My assailant laughed wickedly as she held up her claw-like fingernails. She wore all black leather, and her hair had been dyed purple. 

"Been hoping I'd find ya here, Blaise!" She said, fixing me with a broad smile so I could see her yellow drained teeth had been filed down into points. Both were marks of the Demonic Sisterhood, an all-women gang that my crew had been at war with last winter over drug turf. I said nothing as I swung the crowbar at her face. With a shriek of fury, she dodged out of the way and plowed into my side. 

We rolled on the ground. She, biting and clawing me like an angry cat. Me, stabbing any part of her body with the screwdriver I could. Blood gushed from our wounds as we fought to get the upper hand. Just when I had her pinned down, another member of the Demonic Sisterhood pulled me away from her ally. Together, the two began to overwhelm me despite my best efforts to fight back. They soon had me pinned down and prepared to finish me off.

"Oh no you don't!" I heard a woman shout. The woman who was choking the life out of me was pulled away. Before she could react, a knife was thrust into her stomach multiple times. She shrieked and fell to the ground, clutching her stomach. My rescuer turned around and offered me a hand.

Thanks, Sonya." I wheezed gratefully as I accepted her hand. She hauled me up and patted me on the back.

" she said with a disgusted look at the motionless body next to us. By now, people were slipping on the blood-soaked grass. Dead and injured lay on the ground. Those who could still fight were picking up their weapons for their battles.  I glared at the woman who had first attacked me, who was backing away while eyeing us warily.

" I said, bending down to pick up a discarded bloody hatchet on the ground. "I'll meet back up with you in a few." My third in command nodded and rejoined the fray. I slowly advanced on my adversary, ignoring my many stinging cuts. The woman was now terrified, slipping on the ground and scooting away, holding a hand up.

" she begged with tears streaming down her face. 

"The Lords of Tomorrow don't spare their enemies," I told her. She scrambled to her feet and tried to run away. She only managed to run a few paces before I impaled the hatchet into her spine. She screamed loudly as she dropped to the ground, crying in terror and pain. I stared down at her for a few minutes before walking away instead of finishing her off. Let The Cured have her.

The battle began to wind down. All the supplies had been claimed by various gangs and were not hurrying away from the park. This was only one battle that would have been raised all over Twilight City. Melees like this would be happening all over. I surveyed the damage as I regrouped with my fellow Lords of Tomorrow gang members. We each held at least one full sack of supplies. 

The smell of blood hung heavily in the air. Motionless bodies littered the ground. The wails of the injured combined into a symphony. 

" Colton asked, looking at the cuts on my body.

"I'm fine. Looks like you had a rough time," I said, staring at his swollen left eye and a busted nose. A strangled cry cut off his sarcastic reply. I whirled around, searching for the source. 

A little girl with blonde pigtails and bright blue eyes clutched a small box to her chest fifteen yards away. She looked up at an elderly man trembling in fear. The man was skinny and frail, his eyes widening with madness. I guessed he hadn't eaten well in days, if not weeks, based on his condition. Then, the man viciously descended upon the child.

I watched in disgust as the girl fought for her life in vain. No different than a mindless beast, the man tore her apart and wretched the box from her lifeless corpse. He pulled it open and tilted his head upward, pouring its contents down his throat. 

Sonya, Colton, with me," I ordered as I marched towards the deloparable man. As we got closer, I saw the box this man had stolen a life for—one measly box of rice. Ridiculous.

" the old man spluttered, baring his blackened teeth as a warning. My eyes went back to the corpse of the little girl. I curled my lips in disdain.

" Colton matched forward at my order, sending the old man falling to the ground with a single punch. I watched emotionlessly as Colton planted a foot on the old man's throat. Sonya stalked forward, unsheathing one of her knives. The old man's wheezing turned into a strangled wail of anguish as Sonya planted the knife through his left hand, sinking the blade into the ground.

I smirked as Sonya did the same to the man's right hand and both his feet. The sound of an inhumane wail made the hair on the back of his neck stand. The Cured.

"We need to move. They'll be here for the stragglers soon," I ordered. After gathering my people, I led the way from the battlefield. 

" Came a pitiful wail came from the old man. I briskly marched away, gracefully accepting a lit cigarette from Colton. As the elder's wails increased, I lifted my eyes to the sky. 

The Lords of Tomorrow will never abide those who harm children. Just as you taught us, brother.