1.08

“Hey Hunter, I need three Grease Boppers to go. Now.” The wheezy voice grated on Hunter's nerves.

“Yeah, no worries Gertrude.” Hunter yawned and flipped three patties onto the pan and breathed in the tasty, fatty fumes.

Hunter had slept through almost the whole day at school, landing detention in three different classes. He and Michael had trained all night, ending in Michael giving him a training regime.

“Can I smell burning?” Gertrude’s wheeze had turned into an ear-piercing cry. Hunter snapped to and realised the patties had burnt.

“Sorry, it won’t happen again.” Hunter gave a hollow apology.

“Better not, those three patties are coming out of your pay.” Hunter mouthed the words as Gertrude screamed them.

The dingy back kitchen barely fit any of the equipment needed to function. Containers were stacked everywhere, and the floor was always slippery. A rotten pong stuck around the room. Even after a shower, Hunter still smelled like the place.

Hunter had worked at Greasy Pit for two years and could brag he was the best fryer at the joint. Though many would argue this was because he was one of two. The other being the elderly Jasper Jones who’s very skin oozed grease.

Hunter flicked the patties onto the buns just in time. Shoved on a small handful of fries and two slices of pickle. He squirted the ketchup and cheese whiz and slapped on the top halves of the buns. Hunter hit the bell and Gertrude took the burgers, giving a quick whiff to detect any burnt meat.

It wasn’t the best job in the world, but it was easy and available when he wanted the money.

“Hunter, I need you to work tomorrow night. Jasper has called in saying he has to look after his mother who had a fall. You’ll start at two.”

“I don’t finish school until three thirty.”

“Seriously? Ugh!” Gertrude hated ever having to cook the food. Her argument being that she was a people person.

“I can be here fifteen minutes after that.” Hunter started to cook a burger for himself. It wasn’t something they offered on the menu. Hunter liked to experiment with flavours.

“Yeah, okay. Empty the bins will ya?”

“Yeah.” Hunter took the patty off the pan, something he had forgotten to do once before, and grabbed the bin bag. He had to walk past Gertrude, as the place lacked a back door.

She was a short, pudgy woman with curly grey hair. She always wore a stretched, faded, navy blue polo shirt. Her grey pants used to be white and her apron was loose fitting, almost pointless.

Hunter took the bag around the back alley. The stench back here was rancid. There were multiple food shops that backed onto this alley and trash was only collected once a week. Hunter always complained about the smell and Gertrude would tell him to shut up.

Hunter threw the bag of waste into their skip and started to walk away when he heard a rattling come from within the bin. Hunter spun and watched the lid fly open. He took a step closer, only to stop when he saw a strange looking hand grasp the edge of the bin.

The hand danced along the edge before another one popped up next to it. The fingers looked strange, not flesh but something else. A gaunt, bizarre looking head rose from within. It looked like a head made of trash. Different mangled bits and pieces were somehow moulded together into the rest of the body as the creature pulled itself up out of the bin. It looked like the kind of stuff from those b-grade horror movies Hunter watched as a kid.

“What on earth?” Hunter fumbled around for his flask of dust but remembered he hadn’t brought it with him. Hunter saw a mop leaning up against the building next to it, he grabbed it and threw it at the creature. It stuck to the body and disappeared within its body.

Hunter took a few steps back, not able to move his eyes away from what was emerging in front of him. Hunter grabbed his phone and took a video of the monster. It had made its way out of the bin, it stood at about half of Hunter’s height.

“Hey Michael, I need some advice.” Hunter had rung Michael.

“What’s up young hero?” Michael’s tone was jovial as ever.

“A strange monster has come to life out of the bin near where I work. Lives may be in danger and I have no idea what to do.” The creature shambled closer to Hunter.

“Okay, I’m sending someone over right away. Just try and keep it away from people.”

A scream broke out further down the street and Hunter saw that a worker from the juice bar had come into the back alley.

“Please hurry.” The creature turned around to look at the newcomer and started toward them. The screaming continued.

“What are you doing? Get back inside!” The skinny teenager with dreadlock hair looked at Hunter with sharp confusion and ducked back into the juice bar and slammed the door hard.

“Hey, you, come back here. Leave them alone.” The thing stopped and turned back to face Hunter.

Hunter grabbed a bucket and was about to throw it when he remembered what happened with the mop.

“Michael?” Hunter was beginning to sound panicked.

“Almost there.” A strange noise came up from behind Hunter. It sounded like the grinding of stone.

Hunter turned around and watched the brick wall of the various buildings along the alley seem to rise and fall like a wave of water.

“Need a hand?” said a husky voice. Hunter watched as a person leapt out of the brick wall and standing in front of him was a tall woman with her silver hair in a tight bun. She wore a leather jacket and jeans but what was strange was her skin.

Her skin was the same orange, red color as the bricks she came from. Looking closer, Hunter could see the faint outlines of bricks on her skin. Like she was made of organic brick.

“Hey yeah. Michael send ya?”

“Of course.” The newcomer waltzed up to the creature, which was now staring at the new hero, and clobbered it over the head. The body was squashed flat into the ground like a pancake.

“Easy.” She turned and looked at Hunter. She offered her hand out and Hunter shook it.

“Thanks, erm?” It took everything Hunter had to not cry out in pain.

“Brickla.”

“I’m Hunter. Mite’s the hero name.”

“One of Michael’s newest recruits?”

“Yeah.” They broke contact and Hunter couldn’t hide that he had to massage his hand. “What was that?”

“Trash golem.” Brickla had said it with such a matter of fact tone that it took Hunter by surprise.

“What?”

“Trash golem. Hopefully the only one, but it doesn’t bode well.”

“Sorry, I need you to fill in the gaps.”

“Ever heard of the Trash Queen?”

“No.” Even though his father was a grade A superhero, Hunter knew very little outside of The Victories and their major fights.

A chilling screech came from another bin further up the alley. Another being made from trash came out of the skip, moving faster than the first. Others came from other bins, and before long, there were eight of them.

They rushed Brickla and Hunter, their hands outstretched and wailing a mournful song.

“Kid, can your powers help right now?”

“I don’t think so. I can move dust around.”

“No worries.” Brickla touched one of the walls, and the bricks flowed from the building and swirled around her. Within moments, she was a hulking, brick monster.

A large hole was left in the wall and a scream came from within the building. Hunter looked in and realised it was Gertrude.

“Gertrude, stay back.” One of the golems noticed Gertrude and started toward her.

“Kid?” Hunter nodded and ran into the burger joint.

The golem’s hands were about to grasp Gertrude when Hunter charged into the side of it. The creature and Hunter went flying in a heap.

“Hunter, what is that?”

“No idea. But there’s a hero outside stopping others. Get out of here.” The creature was trying to bite Hunter, but he kept it at arm’s length, his fingers splayed over its face.

“What about you?” She was terrified.

“Gertrude, get out.” She nodded and ran out of the burger joint.

The trash golem continued to gnash at Hunter. It took all his strength to keep it off him.

Brickla made quick work of the golems outside. Flattening them all into the ground. Pounding them into nothingness.

Brickla ducked into the building where Hunter disappeared. She released the bricks and they reformed the wall.

“A little help please.” Hunter was still fighting off the golem. Its strength betrayed its size.

Brickla picked up the golem and threw it at the wall. The golem fell to pieces and the creatures were no more.

“You all right?” Brickla asked.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“No worries.” Brickla disappeared back into the brick wall and the wave among the bricks moved away and disappeared.

“Hey kiddo, you all right?” Hunter brought his thoughts back to the present.

“Yeah. Hey Michael, what can you tell me about the Trash Queen?”