For this one you must allow yourself to be saved by a gang member without being converted.
THE STEEL GANG (any gender, mid teens through late twenties)
Oh my God, yes, yes, yes. Thank you. Thank YOU. Got a jack hammer and everything. How did you know I was out here? How did you know my feet would be buried in concrete? I thought I was going to DIE out here.
Lord, I'm parched. Is there any water in that canteen? Dying of thirst in the middle of an industrial park; how much more bleak can it get?
It's the Straw Gang, ya know? They don't look "tew kandly ahn deserters."
You're looking for an outlet for the hammer. I think there's one right next to the warehouse door. You've got an extension chord right-- of course you do... sorry. God who are you? Some kind of angel? If I had known someone like you...
I mean I knew the Straw Gang was trouble when I joined but I didn't know they'd actually do something like THIS. I only said I needed some time to myself. They were like-- "ooooh yew'll git plen't tahm t'yerself, just yew see, keed."
I tell you, as soon as you bust me out of here, I'm going to eat three dinners in one sitting then I'd like to buy you a drink, Mr... hang on, don't tell me, you got a name tag... Mr...
[pause]
Oh shit.
[pause]
That symbol on your jacket. You're with the Steel Gang, aren't you? Um, um, um... say... before you bust me out of here, I just want to make sure... this isn't like a recruitment thing, is it? Because I heard the Straw Gang was trouble but the Steel Gang, uh, they're supposed to be like twenty times as hard core. So before you bust me out, could you maybe just give me some kind of guarantee that I wouldn't have to join up or maybe, maybe, maybe... HEY! Don't go! I mean, I'd rather be alive... but would I? I... no. Wait. Wait. WAAAAAIT!
Copyright 2016 by Matt Haynes. If you would like to use this piece, please credit: "Courtesy of Matt Haynes and The Pulp Stage"