Better Red Than Dead

     This place is horrible. It's winter but there is no snow! Why did I move here? Because I was just about broke. Maybe I can get an industrial freezer... nah, no way I could afford that. I grab a box of cereal off the top of the fridge and sit down on my sofa. I turn on the TV to find something, anything really, to watch. I scroll through the guide only to find nothing good on. There's never anything good at 6:00 a.m. but there's probably that documentary thing where they show how stuff is manufactured. I switch to the show and shove a paw-full of cereal into my mouth. The tiger on the box looked happy and it's not bad cereal, I've DEFINITELY had worse. I shouldn't have woken up early, I'm off work for the season in case of a freak blizzard freezing everything over.
     Twelve episodes and half a box of cereal later they are showing electric pencil sharpeners being made and suddenly the TV shuts off. So does the A/C, the ceiling fan and the lights. "Fuck this" I say to the empty house. I stand up and put away the cereal. I walk to my room where I grab clothes from the dresser and toss them in a duffle bag. I'm getting someplace nice. I grab my wallet, my keys, and my phone. Going someplace unfamiliar, most crime in all of Zootopia happens there. I open my underwear drawer and take out my old sidearm from Bearuskia and the three magazines it came with. They had so many of the damn things that we were basically told that they would look the other way if we took a few. We only ever used these guns for executing people in apartments.  It was still pretty reliable, I only had to shoot someone in the head more than once on three occasions. I grab a small bottle of vodka the boss got me for my birthday, never fails as a sleeping aid.
    After grabbing a few more things like food, water, and my old coat, I shut off everything except the fridge. Don't want to waste electricity and raise my bill while I'm out. I step into the garage and flip on the switch. Nothing happens. Right, power's out. I flip the switch back off. I open the back of my truck and toss the duffle bag onto the cot. I used to live outta the back of this thing before I could get this house. I close the back the truck and open the garage door. I'm blasted with warm, humid air. I can't wait to get someplace cold.
     I climb into my truck and start the engine. I'm good for fuel for now and hopefully the cold won't stop the engine from working in the mornings. I carefully pull out into my short driveway and climb out of the truck. I shut the garage door and get back in my truck. This is gonna be a bit of a drive but the signs are good enough directions. I turn on the radio and set off away from the heat and stickiness of Marshland.


     Finally. Took longer than I hoped but I am here. Tundratown. Got lost a few times but I made it eventually. The snow is beautiful and my radio station was out of range three hours ago. It's already six, that drive took way longer than it should have. Whatever, wasn't planning to do much today anyways. I take a turn into a back road. About half an hour of driving later when I'm fairly certain that nobody will bother me out here I turn off of the road and drive five minutes out.
     This looks like a nice spot. Not much around, harbors not too far but not too close either. I open the driver side door and step out into the snow. It's as if someone laid a big white blanket over the landscape. The air is dry and frigid and such a refreshing change from the tropical climate I had been in. It's also very cold and I should really put on a coat. I climb into the back of the truck and sit on the cot. I haven't eaten since I left the house. I root through the duffle bag until I find a tin of dried fruit. I cut open the can with a claw and scoop a few chunks of apple into my mouth. One of the biggest changes for me here in Zootopia is my diet. There's hardly any meat here and the meat that is here is much worse than that I got back home. I tried a bug burga or whatever it's called once and I nearly puked. Fish isn't bad though.
     Finishing my dinner I toss the empty can on the floor. I'll pick up later. I take my lightest warm coat out of my bag and put it on. I step out of my truck into the dusk and snow. The view of the city is pretty nice out here. I bet it'll look even better when it's properly dark. Finally the sun dips below the horizon. The only light visible is the glow of the city. Maybe I'll do something tomorrow when I haven't been driving for seven hours. I get back on my cot and I lock the truck for the night. I toss my coat over the passenger seat and fish the vodka out of my bag. I take a small sip and put it back in the bag as I lay down on the cot. A comfortable warmth washes over me and it gets harder to keep my eyes open. I soon give in and fall asleep.

     I awaken to a strange, loud noise. Must just be the wind. But then I hear talking. "Keep trying! This thing will be worth a fortune resold." one voice says. "I'm trying as hard as I can boss." says a second, slightly more dopey sounding voice. Fuck, they're trying to steal my truck. I quickly fish my gun from the duffle bag and slip it into my waistband, concealing it with my shirt.
     I slowly approach the back door before unlocking it and swinging it open. Two wolves are staring at me in shock. One of them has a crowbar grasped in his paw. "Evening gentleman. The fuck you think you are doing here trying to get into my truck?"
     The wolf without the crowbar steps forward and says to me with a voice that is shaky but trying to be intimidating "J-just stealing a car off of some dumbass in the middle of nowhere. Get him Lou!" The one who I'm imagining is Lou pulls me out of the truck and tosses me into the snow. I roll onto my back in time to see him raise the crowbar to hit me. I've been in this situation before. I quickly draw my gun from my pants and fire two shots into his chest. The sound was deafening. He drops the crowbar and looks down at the blossom of red forming upon his white shirt. He suddenly collapses to the ground and starts to stain the snow red.
     My ears are ringing but I can still hear the panicked and frantic shouting of the other wolf. "Lou! C-come on man g-get up! Get th-this asshole!" The only response from Lou is a gurgling sound. He's not long for this world. I stand up but it doesn't last. "You fucking bastard!" The wolf tackles me and sinks his teeth deep into my right shoulder. The burning sensation is enough to make me drop my gun somewhere in the snow. I return the favor and sink my teeth into his left eye, spraying blood onto my face. He yells and recoils in pain. I feel the grip on my shoulder vanish as he pulls away, covering the bloodied hole that was his left eye with his right paw. I get up and slam into his stomach with my good shoulder and he falls to the ground. He reaches into a pocket and takes out a small knife which he promptly sticks into my left arm. The pain is intense but I pummel his face until he stops struggling so much. This gives me an opportunity to stand up and pull the knife out of my arm. An insignificant little toothpick of a knife but it still hurt more than the bite to the shoulder. I squat down next to him and shove the blade into the side of his head with all my might. The sound of the blade snapping is all that I'm given. Along with another yelp from the writhing mass that was once an attempted car jacker. What happened in his life to make him have to turn to this? Discrimination? Abuse? It doesn't really matter now. I find my gun and put a round into the side of his head where the piece of shit blade was still stuck. His cries of pain and squirming finally put to an end with a short, loud crack.
     I rip up the clean parts of the first wolf I shot's shirt and wrap my wounds with it. These should suffice until I can get to a drug store. The snow is stained a deep red noticeable even in the darkness. I sit in the snow for awhile until I become numb. I decide I should probably do something about the bodies that lie before me. I drag them both back to my truck and fasten them to the roof. After closing the back door I get into the driver's seat and put my gun in the glove compartment. I start the truck and after staring into the snow illuminated by the headlights for a few minutes I drive to the river.
     I step out of my truck and get the bodies down off of the top of the truck. Should I check their pockets? See who they used to be before I turned them into this? Fuck it, if I take the wallets then it looks like a mugging. I slowly roll both bodies into the river and watch the current drag them away. I quickly run back to the truck and empty half the bottle of vodka into my wounds. Last thing I need is an infection. I toss the remainder of the bottle into the river. I get the feeling it may help me sleep better doing that than drinking it. Maybe it's a tribute to the two people who's lives I cut short not half an hour ago. Maybe it was a way to atone for my sins. Nah, if I get pulled over I don't want the police to find alcohol along with the wounded, blood-soaked cat they find. I get back in the truck and look at myself in the wing mirror. My fur is sticky and matted with blood. Normally grey, now dyed a deep red. I need to not let anyone see me until I get a shower. I start the long drive to home and say to myself "Better red than dead!"