The Sweeper

Vin leaned against the steering wheel of his van, watching his partner searched a stack of crates big enough to hide a person. A narrow beam of light traced the inside of one of the crates. Vin huffed an exaggerated sigh. Maybe he was being stubborn, it was one of his worst traits. But Cherry kept pushing the boundaries, forcing them closer and closer to the border between North and South Eedy. She didn’t seem to accept how dangerous it was.

The engine tinked and revved, pushing dry air into the van. Vin shifted the gear to park and twisted the key. The heater ceased its electrical hum.

They’d been working together for the past two years and sleeping together for the same. It made the job easier if they kept to themselves. No one liked Sweepers and no one wanted to acknowledge the truth of what they did. To the rest of Eedy they were a stain on the pavement. 

Cherry looked back and beckoned him with a hand.

Vin preferred to think of them as a necessity. Without them, Eedy would be overwhelmed with pests. Homeless hungry people that, if left alone, would become an infestation. He was necessary.

Vin unclipped his pulser from the van holster and strapped it to his belt. Stepping out, his breath puffed a cloud into the early morning air. The sky was purple-blue. The colour right before the sun breached the horizon. It also happened to be the best time for sweeping. Too late for the partiers and too early for the workers. The world was asleep.

“These stacks are like a honey pot for nomads,” Cherry said. “What do you make of this?” She pointed at something inside the shelter.

Vin aligned his sight to her finger. “What do you see?” he asked.

“It looks like these stacks are inhabited but no one’s here.” She shone a flashlight into the dark container. “They wouldn’t leave all their stuff like this right?”

There was a jumble of junk in the container. A few blankets, some food parcels, but what Cherry was probably referring to was the two suitcases zipped up and standing near the entrance. 

“Maybe they were already swept up? Forced to leave the suitcases behind?” Vin offered.

“Yeah, maybe. But if that’s true, the suitcases would’ve been picked over already.” Cherry walked over to the larger of the two and turned it onto its side. She unzipped it.

“Unless it just happened,” Vin rubbed his hands together to dull the chill.

Cherry held up an article of clothing. “You think another Sweeper is bold enough to get this close to the border? If that’s true, we gotta figure out who’s hunting on our turf.” She moved her attention to the second suitcase.

“Could be. There are too many newbie hotshots trying to make quota. Maybe they don’t get how dangerous the disputed zone is.” Vin glanced up and down the street, checking that they were still alone.

Cherry held up a small shirt with pink polka-dots. “Looks like we got a father-daughter combo,” she said and dropped the pint-sized clothing back onto the pile. 

Vin stepped out of the container. “Let’s assume they didn’t already get picked up by our competition. Where do you think they’d go this time of day?” Vin stood at a crossroads of empty streets. One of the paths looked as though it could lead to North Eedy. It was skinny which meant no vehicles could drive it. Made sense, considering the only way into North Eedy was by train or foot. 

“Probably hoping for a handout from the Northerners.” Cherry stepped beside Vin, her blond bob tucked behind her ears. “As if life is any kinder there.”

“What you wanna do? It’s almost dawn,” Vin asked. 

She shook her head. “Vin, we won’t make quota without at least one pick up today.”

Vin matched her icy stare. “We can’t go to North Eedy, you know that.”

Cherry pressed her palms against Vin’s jaw and pulled his face to hers. “We won’t make quota,” she stressed the words. Her eyes locked with his.

Vin puffed his cheeks. “So what? It’s a risk between our lives and our jobs? you know what will happen if we’re caught right? I’d rather deal with our boss than deal with a group of amped-up, weapon toting weirdos. ”

“We’ve got to have a pickup today.” Cherry’s uniform was faded on the creases, the deep blue rubbed away from years of use. “It’s nearly dawn Vin, we’re out of time. I can trace them up the path to North Eedy, flush ’em out.”

Vin gawked at her. “Are you nuts? Since when did you start suggesting suicidal missions? I know we need this job, but c’mon “

Cherry got a look on her face like her eyebrows were talking to each other, pushed together and arched upwards. It was the look she got when Vin had said something to piss her off. 

Vin kept on, “It just isn’t a smart idea. We gotta weigh the risks. This one’s not worth it. So what if we’re behind this month, we get three strikes right?”

She blew air into her bangs. “I already have two,” she admitted.

“Are you serious?” Vin leaned close to her face. “You wait until right now to tell me that?”

Cherry stepped back. “I didn’t want you to worry. But you might as well know, if I don’t make quota tonight I’ll lose my job.”

“That’s why you’ve been taking so many risks.” Vin shook his head. “Why we keep getting closer and closer to North Eedy.”

“So what? You don’t like my methods but they get the job done, right?” She pointed a finger at his chest. “You think you could get those numbers without me?”

Vin turned from her. She was right and it pissed him off. There were too many Sweepers, too much competition. This was weeding time. Sweepers that didn’t make quota would be dropped from the gig. It’s how management worked. When they didn’t like how Sweepers were performing, they would hire a bunch of new ones and wait until quota to cut the weakest. 

Cherry continued, “You know what will happen to me if I don’t make it.”

Vin’s boots scratched against broken cement. “You could move in with me. I wouldn’t let you stay on the streets.”

She laughed, “Yeah? And how long until you reach your third strike? Management won’t give you another partner. You think you can reach quota solo?”

The pulser felt heavy on his hip. They were being too loud for this area. He lowered his voice. “Yeah, there’s a risk that you could get fired and I could end up working by myself. Eventually end up homeless to be swept up like the rest but isn’t that better than being dead?”

Cherry spun towards the skinny path. “You’re unbelievable. I’m going.”

“Don’t be stupid,” he hissed through his teeth. But she was already marching toward the path.

She hesitated when she reached the corner.

He raised his voice. “How are you going to drag them back on your own? You think North Eedy folk won’t notice?”

She spun back. “Then help me!” she shouted. “Quit being a jerk and help me find them!”

Vin saw a movement to his right. He reached for his pulser just as something hit his head. A spark of pain erupted in his temple. Bright white light erupted in his vision. 

“Vin!” Cherry’s voice echoed behind the light, her warning too late.

His knee collided with the pavement and something hard hit him against his back. He fell forward and scrambled to turn himself over, detaching his pulser from his belt he pointed it upwards. 

A scruffy-looking man swung a hunk of metal, connecting with Vin’s hand. The pulser flew from his grasp, clattering against hard cement.

“Don’t you dare swing that thing again!” Cherry shouted from behind Vin. 

Pain seared up his arm and he gripped his wrist.

The man moved his attention from Vin to Cherry. “Where is she?!” he shouted, wide-eyed with panic.

“Who?” Cherry asked, her voice calm.

Vin darted his gaze between the man with a metal rod and the surrounding streets, searching for more attackers. He cursed. If Cherry was licensed to carry a pulser, this guy would be flat on his back. But she’d had too many stains on her record to qualify. 

“I’ll hurt him if you don’t give her back to me.” The man waved the rod as if he were going to hit Vin again.

“You mean your daughter?” Cherry asked.

“Of course I mean my daughter.” The man flicked his gaze to Vin.

“Do you know how dangerous it is this close to North Eedy?” Cherry said. She walked into Vin’s peripheral. “You were planning an escape to North Eedy right?”

He raised the rod as a threat and Cherry stopped moving forward.

Cherry raised her hands, palms towards the assailant. “It’s better for you both if you come with us. You’ll be given work, set up with a place to live and your daughter will be safe.”

The man scoffed, “How gullible do you think I am? I’ve heard the stories. Once you’re sold, you never get out.”

“Those are just rumours,” Cherry said. “All the camps are different, you work off your debt, make a little extra and you can get yourself back into Prism City.”

Vin pulled himself up to a seated position, resting his throbbing head against his hand. “These streets are no place for a kid,” he added.

The man shook his head. “No. There has to be a better life somewhere. I need to find it for my girl.”

Vin felt liquid drip down the side of his face. He touched it, blood coated his fingertips. “How about this,” he said and pushed on his knee, attempting to stand. 

The man took a step back but didn’t lower his rod.

Vin continued, “We only need one of you. North Eedy will take pity on a little girl all by herself. They don’t hurt kids, in fact they’ll probably find her a good home.” 

Cherry gripped Vin’s elbow, helping him to stand. The world teetered before it righted. 

The man’s mouth hung slack. “You want me to abandon my daughter?” His beard was gruff and unkempt. He’d probably been living on the streets for months.

Vin shook his head. “I want you to help your daughter by giving her a chance. She won’t make it with you as baggage. The best thing you can do for her now is to give yourself up. Then she can be your motivation for getting out.”

Cherry stepped between Vin and the guy. “I can show her the way to the border and watch her from a distance, make sure she makes it.”

They made a good team. It was as if Cherry knew exactly what Vin was thinking.

The man’s grip on the rod faltered. “How do I know she’ll be safe? I can’t leave not knowing if she made it.”

Vin took two steps to his side. Closer to the pulser on the pavement. 

Cherry kept the conversation moving. “That’s fine with me. We can all go, watch her from a distance. It’ll be a hard goodbye, but a lot better than her having to watch what the North Eedyers do to you.”

The rod lowered from its strike position. 

“Aren’t you tired of being hungry? Tired of asking for the scraps?” Cherry persisted. She played to the bags under the man’s eyes, the skinniness of his limbs. “Aren’t you tired of watching your daughter starve?”

The man looked as though he might cry.

Vin darted for his pulser. He crouched low and snatched it up with his good hand. He waved his wrist over the safety, authorizing the activation. Vin spun to face the man. The man stared at him with a look of complete defeat.

Vin fired. A pulse slammed into the man’s chest. His body went limp and he fell to the pavement. 

“Daddy!” a tiny voice cried. 

Vin looked at Cherry. “You hear where that came from?”

Cherry smiled at Vin. “She’s in the stacks.”

Vin walked over to the stunned man and tapped him with his foot. “Looks like he’s out,” he said. Vin cradled his broken wrist with the other arm. “I’ll get the truck, you get the girl.”

Cherry nodded an agreement. “One for this month and one for next month’s quota.” 

The thing he’d learned in all his years sweeping, was to not get sympathetic. These people were going to end up in the camps whether Vin picked them up or the next guy did it. At least this way, Vin had a job. 

Yes, that is what he would tell himself so that he could sleep tonight, get up and do it all over again tomorrow. He was necessary.