Chapter Text
"Fuck"
Pomni needed one more dollar to buy another 12 pack of cup o noddles at a not sketchy store. She glances out her old civic and sees what looks to be another homeless guy dead.
"Fuck"
Is she really going to take money from a dead guy?
"Fuck"
She's already out of the car and into the alleyway. No one would really mind. I mean with her dirty and torn raincoat and disheveled hair, she just looks like she's worried for her friend. Patting down she finds his wallet and manages to pull out 50$ in fives, and a 20$ gift card for some liquor store.
"Hello there"
Fuck.
Pomni turned around to see a humanoid jackrabbit with a bat full of nails and a humanoid frog with a pistol.
"Hi there Jax, Ribbit, I swear I'll pay you guys soon. You guys do understand I'm just scraping by eh?" Pomni held her hands up as she tried not to panic.
"Sure you were kid" Jax smiles as he leans down towards Pomni with a hand open.
"Hand it over" His smile drops as he gives Pomni prolonged eye contact.
"Can I just get one dollar change for food?" Pomni meekly asked as she clutched onto the cash in her hand.
"No" Jax grabs Pomni's wrist and pulls the cash out from Pomni's hand. Ribbit looked a little guilty but said nothing.
"Now you got 4,682.57 left to your debt" Jax lifted Pomni up by the wrist making Pomni try to pull out.
"We will be watching you" Jax tossed Pomni back in the alleyway, hitting her body against a dumpster. Jax and Ribbit walked away.
Fuck.
How did her life just keep getting worse. She managed to get her sore, hungry body back to the car. She had her back seats folded down to make a space for a sleeping bag and all of her belongings, which were just stuff to heep her moving on alive. She laid in the back, curled up in a ball, holding back the hunger.
Fuck.
She hated this, she can't find a place for a job. She had a job once, working to move money around. She got fired for stealing small amounts of cash to pay off her debt with the jackrabbit. Now she owes the checkmate business about 300 dollars. She's doing fantastic.
She's learned a few things, buy in bulk dry products, some how cheaper than individual purchases. When someone puts out free clothes, grab the oversized ones, double as bedding or blankets. If someone's dead, don't feel pity, take the money. Don't spend money on random stuff, even if you have spare cash. If possible, use gift cards to places. Eat once a day, save food. Never park in the richer areas.
Pomni groaned as her stomach yelled at her and she got back up and out of the car with 14 dollars to her name. She went to the driver's seat to find a cheap store that'll sell her bulk food.
Her drive was quiet until she found a shady store that had products for low prices. She grabbed her empty gun (used up all the bullets already) and hid it in her raincoat. She walked in and found a pack of 24 cans of soup, which can be split into two meals for exactly 14 dollars. She went to the front and checked out.
Pomni left as quickly as possible and shoved the cans under the fold where your feet usually go in the backseats. She covered her food stash with more clothes so no one thinks she's got any food. If she could tell her past self anything it would be to never borrow money ever.
Fuck.
She should have known not to do that. It's what got her mother flee the country when Pomni was little. Her father, oh all he did was borrow cash just to spend on booze letting Pomni fight for cash to take care of herself. Oh Pomni hated her father, he didn't care he was racking up debt. The best part, all of her dad's debt fell onto Pomni when he died from being shot at multiple times (They can't find the culprit or the gun used). Pomni had previously owed about 500 dollars and then over 7,000 dollars.
Fuck.
Pomni drove to a RV park that allowed people living in their cars there as well. She sat on the car roof as she ate half a can of soup, hating her father, hating the asshole in charge of The Hand for forcing her father's debt onto her. She hated her life, but she wasn't going to chose death over it.
When the sun set, she closed the can up and put in into a plastic container to make sure it stays fresher. She took off her raincoat and laid in her sleeping bag, letting the sleep take over.
Pomni awoke and the first thing she did was grab 3-1, towel, her plaid button up, her boots and her overalls before heading out of the car and to the public showers and bathrooms. She washed her body, dried and changed to do hard labor. She put her other clothes back in the car before walking out of the RV park to a sidewalk where other day laborers wait. She only really became friends with one of the laborers, so she stood near them instead.
"Hi Zooble" Pomni waved to the efficient worker that Zooble was. Zooble gave Pomni a nod of acknowledgement.
"How have you been?" Zooble asked.
"Good as can be" Pomni nodded, she never told Zooble about her situation and doesn't really plan on telling anyone, just in case she ends up owing more money... You never know, her dad probably owed money to a lot of people.
"That's good" Zooble replied.
A car drove by and asked for one person for a very cheap digging job, no one wanted it since they were probably doing better than she was. She took the offer and now she's in the back of a nice car letting the redhead talk.
"We'll pay you more than 3 dollars an hour" The redhead said and Pomni looked up at her.
"Ah don't worry, whatever works for you is fine with me" Pomni reassured the redhead.
"We just did that to see who would actually take the job" The redhead explained.
"I'm Ragatha by the way" Ragatha introduced herself.
"Pomni" Pomni quickly responded.
"Nice to meet you Pomni" Ragatha smiled, Pomni saw through the mirror that Ragatha was wearing an eye patch. Cool. Eye patches means an injury most likely while doing work.
Fuck.
Did Pomni's dad owe money to Ragatha as well?
No, because she just said she was seeing who would take the bait.
"Hey, we're here" Ragatha snapped Pomni out of her thoughts and Pomni got out of the car in the middle of the forest.
"Here" Ragatha gave Pomni a shovel, and without question started digging by a large tree. Ragatha didn't need to tell Pomni what she needed to dig for since they both knew. Ragatha kept watch of Pomni and the surroundings. Ragatha had a rifle in her lap as she sat atop the car.
"I won't runaway or snitch" Pomni said when Ragatha looked over at Pomni again.
"Why's that?" Ragatha asked as she put her full attention to Pomni.
"I need money, numb to violence and death, and the police won't give a damn about anything I say, oh and I have no living parents and no friends to tell anyone. I mean you could kill me and I wouldn't be looked for" Pomni plainly said.
"Live alone?" Ragatha asked.
"Yeah, working many jobs" Pomni answered.
"How well can you drive?"
"Pretty good"
"Would you like a full time job?"
"Doing what?"
"I've got a missing eye, I technically can't be driving"
"So I'd be your personal driver?"
"Yes"
"Let me think about it as I dig this hole"
And so Pomni though over it, stable job, driving, but if she's burying bodies she's gonna be a getaway driver soon. Maybe she'll be burying bodies or in shootouts or depending on Ragatha's rank, just an assistant all together.
The hole was done and the two of them grabbed the body from the bag and unzipped it to reveal some guy. They toss the body and Pomni started to cover it up. This is kind of therapeutic, the repetitive tasks, not hiding a body.
"I'll take the job" Pomni finally decided.
"Oh and don't worry about dressing up, we'll get you a tailored suit, meet me tomorrow at 10am on the dot here" Ragatha explain as she handed Pomni a business card to a suit tailor with an address.
"I'll take you back to where I found you and here's just a hundred bucks" Ragatha handed Pomni five twenty dollar bills.
Pomni entered the car and Ragatha drove all they way back in silence. The car parked a block away and Pomni got out.
"See you tomorrow" Ragatha said before driving away.
Pomni headed back to the RV park which passed by where the day labors work, she hid a twenty in her bra, just in case Jax and Ribbit come around for cash. She walked by Zooble with a smile and a wave
"Hey Zooble"
"Hey Pomni" Zooble gave Pomni a wave as Pomni headed back.
When she got back to the park Jax and Ribbit were waiting, at least they're considerate enough to not do this around businesses. That could make it harder for the one with debt to pay it off.
"80 bucks" Pomni said as she handed Jax the cash, the jackrabbit smiled as he put the cash in his pocket.
"Now you're at 4,602.57" Jax reminded Pomni.
"And I've got a job starting tomorrow, so I'll pay you when I get my paycheck" Pomni explained.
"Good good, don't fuck it up this time" Jax quipped before heading out.
"Good luck with the new job" Ribbit congratulated Pomni before leaving as well.
Pomni sat atop her car, finishing her half eaten can of soup watching the sunset.
Maybe life isn't so terrible.
Maybe she can pay of her debt.
Maybe she could buy a house or rent an apartment.
Who knows.