r/shortstories • u/AstroRide • Jun 15 '26
Humour [HM][SP]<Searching for Lucas> Underground Brawls (Part 4)
This short story is a part of the Mieran Ruins Collection. The rest of the stories can be found on this masterpost.
There was only one house on Greenview Drive. When the world ended, such outposts became common sites. It was so easy to destroy a building. Earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods could bring one down in seconds, and that was only nature. A poorly lit match could start a blaze that ended a dwelling. What prevented houses from becoming completely abandoned were the people who cared for them. People replaced the cracked windows, people reshingled the roofs, and they rebuilt when it came tumbling down. After the aliens attacked, people stopped caring about their homes, mostly because they were dead.
Derrick and Becca passed by the skeletons of old homes and approached 844 W. Greenview Drive. The house was in pristine condition. The green paint appeared to be new. The drain pipes were clean. The statue of a flamingo in the front yard was upright and in horrible taste. The two approached the house, and Becca knocked on the door. A man in a white t-shirt and brown cargo pants opened the door.
“Hello, my name is Becca. I am the sheriff,” Becca said. The man reacted by punching Becca in the nose and slamming the door.
“That’s rude. You didn’t let her finish,” Derrick said. The man reopened the door and punched Derrick. Before he could close it, Derrick shoved his foot in the frame. When the wood hit it, Derrick unleashed a loud scream.
“You need to lie down immediately. That could be broken,” Becca said, switching into nurse mode. Derrick pointed at the man. “Oh right.” Becca charged at the man. Her opponent was a foot taller, but he was distracted. Becca pushed through the entrance knocking him off balance. Derrick began swinging at the man without regard for accuracy forcing him to focus on blocking him. Becca slipped behind the opponent and tripped him. When he was on the floor, she got on top of him and put his arm in a hold.
“We just want to talk sir. No need for violence.” Becca turned to the right. “By the way, there’s a sofa over there.”
“Got it.” Derrick hobbled over and put his foot up.
“There’s nothing wrong with friends having some fun. I don’t why you make it illegal,” the man said.
“Make what illegal?” Becca asked.
“Gambling,” the man said.
“Isn’t that legal?” Becca turned to Derrick. Derrick removed his shoe and sock to inspect his foot. A bump the size of a peanut was in the middle of it.
“Yeah, it’s never been illegal here,” Derrick said. “Oh, is it heavily regulated?” the man asked.
“It’s supposed to be, but we don’t have the staff for that,” Derrick replied.
“In that case, let me welcome you to my home. Can you let me up?” the man asked. Becca obliged but was prepared to fight the man. He stood up and held out his hand. “My name is Greg.”
“I am Becca, and that’s Derrick.” Becca shook his hand. Greg turned to Derrick.
“That looks really bad. Do you want some ice for it?”
“Yes please,” Derrick said. Greg walked to the freezer and returned with a bag of ice for Derrick.
“So I guess since you aren’t going to bust me. What are you here for?” Greg asked.
“We are looking for Lucas, the public works director,” Becca said.
“Lucas.” Greg scratched his chin. “The Rock Master, he’s my best brawler. He’s on retreat to recover from his injuries.”
“Wait a minute, you are running fights?” Becca asked.
“Let me show you. There’s one going on right now,” Greg said.
“I’ll stay here,” Derrick said.
Greg took Becca into the linen closet. After clearing the towels on the bottom shelf, he pushed a panel away revealing a passage. He gestured for her to enter. They crawled for two minutes. They emerged into a large room with dim lights. A chalkboard on one wall listed names and stats for each name. A man behind a bar cleaned glasses. A group of people stood around a ring. A man in red trunks and a man in blue trunks stood on opposite sides of the ring. They approached each other. A ref stood in the middle and raised his hand. The men shook their fists at each other. At the third shake, the man in red had a fist while the man in blue had a flat palm. The crowd erupted into a mix of cheers and cries of despair. The referee held the man in blue’s arm up in victory.
“Rock Paper Scissors. Seriously, this is the lamest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Becca said.
“Everyone needs a hobby. Would you prefer it if we were actually throwing punches?” Greg asked.
“As a nurse and sheriff, no. As a person, yes.” Becca turned to Greg. “When you said Lucas was the rock master, that meant he would?”
“He always knew when to throw rock,” Greg said.
“How’d he get injured playing this stupid game?” Becca held up a finger. “Wait, don’t tell me. He fell leaving the ring.”
“No, his opponent got mad and physically assaulted him.” Becca’s eyes widened. “We take this sport very seriously.”
“Wow, that somehow makes it lamer. Do you know where the retreat is?”
“It’s by Lake Ura. He said he wanted to be close to his day job in case something went wrong.”
“Wait, we were just there for nothing,” Becca said.
“I guess so,” Greg shrugged.
The geyser grew. People began noticing that their basements were flooding. Spouses shamed each other for not checking the sub pumps. Water spread across the city headed towards the lowest elevation, the new city hall.
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