“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Chief Trina, in charge of our Police Department here at The City of Jump. Names are sometimes hard to remember these days, especially with how busy it’s been. But surely, we won’t forget a handsome young devil as yourself,” the woman said, making David uncomfortable. “Just trying to ease the tension. Anyway, young man. It is a requirement for new recruits to watch our training video. So, without further ado, let’s begin,” the lights went pure black again as Trina pulled on a string-switch. Immediately, David’s attention was drawn to the top of the door he entered from, observing a projector on a wooden plank above. David then turned to see an old man on the screen, dressed akin to Marcus.
“Greeting’s rookie, welcome to The City of Jump,” said the old man in an office chair sitting behind a desk with picture frames and pens in cups. “I am William B. Franklin, but you may call me Mr. Biff”. “Old bald fart,” Zeb scoffed, chewing on his ponytail. Even Trina started to smirk, but then quickly regained her composure. David winced at the grainy video, confused at Zeb’s remark. The answer came as Mr. Biff removed his dark purple top hat, revealing his bare scalp with liver spots and wrinkles shining brighter and whiter than a wet beluga whale. “But enough about me, let’s get into everything you’ll need to know while working here at The City of Jump,” continued Mr. Biff in his southern drawl, with his yellow crusted eyes blinking intermittently. “First, no walking. Sounds like a strange rule, but believe me once you start working here, you’ll understand. However, this rule does not apply to citizens. Second, humor is everything, but surely a young rookie as yourself should not have a problem with this rule. Finally, always remember your spatula. Well, that’s it. Now jump!” The video ended abruptly, and Trina pulled the switch letting the flashing lights blind themselves. “Anyway gentlemen, I want to thank you for joining our police department rookie. You will start tomorrow, but before you leave, you will go with Zeb to get your uniform. Isn’t that correct Zeb?” Trina instructed. “Uh sure miss Trina dude bro, … I mean ma’am,” Zeb said struggling to pull himself up. “Right then. Now, jump you go!” Instructed Trina. “Come on dude, I’ll take ya where ya need to go,” said Zeb with a smirk as he walked over to David giving him a light pat on the back. Zeb walked out with David following from behind.
They passed the office door at a corner in the small hallway, which stopped abruptly at the main lobby. The walls were painted yellow with checkerboard patterned strips in the center, making the spacious boxed room look like one giant taxicab. The colors of the lobby contrasted with the red brick walls of the small hallway. The floor was made of linoleum checkered tiles. Left of the hallway was a wall with multiple doorways containing full height turnstile gates. The doorway leading to the gates were guarded on each side by two tall policeman models, wearing a uniform resembling a red shirt officer. They had a toy soldier appearance with rosy cheeks and held their brown batons afront the gates, making the smiles upon their plastic mugs appear the more passive aggressive. At the front of the building were eight cashier booths that looked like silver toll booths, all connected with a rectangular overhang. The booths had wide spaces between them, with black and yellow traffic gates and rectangular white signs emitted above the booths, reading numbers “1-8” correspondingly. Parallel to the toll stations where rows of light blue flags spanning all the way to the gates behind, each containing an American flag, but with a white trampoline where the stars would normally go. A few feet next Toll Station 1 stood a metal door with a sign above it reading “Police Entrance” in bright green electronic letters, and the wall next to the door contained a row of automatic opening and closing doors across from the Toll Stations. On the far wall parallel to the Police Entrance stood a long series of blue painted lockers. In the middle of the room behind the Toll Stations stood a large stone statue of a mayor holding up a large scroll titled “Laws” at the top, pious as if the only significant thing in the room. Surrounding the stature were a large circle of computers, containing their own wooden podiums. As David and Zeb reached the Police Entrance, Zeb unlocked the metal door and they walked through. David took one more look behind him. He was impressed by how spotless the lobby appeared but made him uncomfortable for an unknown reason.
The other side of the door revealed a long spacious tunnel, which was divided into two sections to form a giant “L”, with the long side of the “L” running behind the manager’s office and Training Room. The walls were made of tile, and the lighting was green and made it appear as if the tiles were painted. After turning the corner, Zeb tried to lighten the mood by conversing with David, but he would only give one-word answers to questions such as “Is this your first job?” and “Gotta girlfriend?” To which he answered yes and no respectively. The last question David responded to was “Not much of a talker, are ya?” Choosing a nod instead of vocals. “I understand dude, you not wantin’ to chat,” said Zeb. Zeb was stocky and slightly taller than David, probably standing around five-eight. He was wide like a wall and had shiny tan skin with long greasy black hair. He had the same tired bags under his eyes like Trina and Marcus, something that he had not noticed until now.
After the walk through the green tunnel Zeb and David traveled through a similar white door at the end, leading to an extensive warehouse. The warehouse had everything one would suspect consisting of broken unused billboards, a work bench with tools scattered all over, and truck unloading stations. In a far corner, there was a caged off section reserved for packaged food and drinks most likely waiting to be restocked. On the wall parallel from where they entered was another door that read “Police Exit” akin to the Police Entrance but with red letters instead. It was very hot in this warehouse, with dust all over making it somewhat difficult for David to breathe. In contrast to Zeb, who breathed with little hesitation. One thing was off, for David observed a garbage chute that read “The City of Jump” on the wall above, but after the word “jump” there was an “a” and “e”, and an “a” and “d” spaced far out from one another in faded white letters. The chute had a lever next to it with a large red button rested underneath, protected by a plastic guard.
“What’s that?” David asked.
“Wu-wut?” Zeb asked.
“What’s this City of Jump aead thing?”
“The wut?”
“This giant disposal looking thing?”
“Yeah, what about?”
“What is it?” David emphasized.
“Oh, that thing? Just a compactor. Ya ain’t the first to ask ya know?”
“Right.” David chuckled uneasy. “What does the a-e-a-d stand for?” He asked.
“Dunno man. Nobody seems to know. Not even Marcus. Mr. Biff may have known, but that old fart’s been dead for years,” Zeb answered hastily
“Oh, sorry” David said concerned.
“Nah, don’t sweat it. He had a foot in the grave anyway,” Zeb chuckled.
Nonetheless David still wondered, since there was a ghastly smell coming from the compactor. The stench was nose piercing and concurrently unfamiliar. “Thought I told those two to close this!” Zeb uttered beneath his breath. He looked down the chute and pressed the red button. Subsequently loud mechanical noises could be heard accompanied by sound of loud crunching, and a large metal shutter fell from the top as he pulled the lever down. David’s skepticism ended abruptly when Zeb said, “Just don’t go messin’ around this thing. Its off limits to rookies, capiche?”. David nodded. “Good. After you kind sir,” Zeb said sarcastically, and they walked towards the shelf on the wall to their right. It had rows of cardboard boxes on it and each box had labels that read things such as “Sergeant Uniforms, Officer Uniforms, Toll Collector Uniforms, EMS Uniforms, Arsenal, Medical Supplies, Accessories,” and amongst other typical things. “All right, now it’s time to get you suited up my man. What size are ya?” Zeb said, looking through the cardboard boxes.
“S…small…” struggled David.
“Small? Boy I ain’t ever met anyone that wore that in a long time,” chuckled Zeb. “I’m just messin,” Zeb quickly frowned after seeing David’s lack of amusement. “Let’s see if we got that,” Zeb shuffled around one of the boxes that read “Officer Uniforms.” “Sorry man, all we got is a large. Not many smalls or mediums come through this place”
“That’s quite alright,” replied David, looking away from embarrassment.
“Shoe size?” Zeb asked
“9,” said David.
“In terms of footwear, it’s your lucky day. Might be a little stiff at first. Make sure to wear thick socks and soak em’ with water and mink oil,” said Zeb, digging around in a cardboard box filled with leather combat boots. Here, try this on right quick,” Zeb said as he tossed a vacuum sealed uniform and boots to David.
“Is there not a restroom where I can try these clothes on?”
“Can’t let you outta here less you try those on dude. Just go on over to that cage in the corner and try em’ out, I won’t let anyone peek. Just lemme know when ya done, aight?” Replied Zeb.
David walked reluctantly over to the caged off area in the far back corner of the warehouse. The cage had no door or lock on, so David did not hesitate to walk in. The caged area had boxes of freight, as to be expected. David went to a corner of the cage to get changed. After he changed into his uniform, he walked to the open entrance of the gated area, tossed his dress clothes on some nearby boxes behind him and said, “Alright I’m finished.”
“Sorry bruh, what was that?”
“I said I’m finished!” exclaimed David.
“Oh, comin’! Geez dude ya need to learn to speak up, especially around here. Well, look at ya, all suited up and ready for trouble. Looks a lil baggy on ya though” said Zeb with enthusiasm, seeing the now uniformed David. David scanned his own body for a couple of seconds and then looked over at his prior outfit. Looking back at Zeb confused he said, “I look like a wrinkled cherry.” He wore a long-sleeved scarlet uniform shirt, containing navy blue pocket flaps and epaulettes, a navy blue octagonal peaked cap with matching slacks, a navy clip-on tie, and a black Sam-Browne belt. This unfitted uniform was uncomfortable. The sleeves of his shirt looked a little puffy on his arms and his pants fit a little wide. The patent visor of his peaked cap slumped down a little over his eyes, almost hiding them completely, and the new polyester outfit itched from not being washed yet. “That hat is constructed to fold easily and put in your pocket, in case you get tired of wearing it as we all are,” Zeb noted. David took it off to examine it further, and found that it folded with ease. After which, he put it back on his head. “Aight, time for ya next step, come over here please,” said Zeb. David walked hesitantly over to where Zeb was standing.
“What’s next, sir?” David asked.
“I’m gettin’ there. Geez man you gotta learn to go with the flow. Take a breatha. And I’m only twennythree, so stop callin’ me sir.” Zeb was now digging around in the box that read “Arsenal” and after for what seemed like a minute, Zeb returned to David with a pair of metal handcuffs, a black aluminum flashlight, a brown two-foot billy club, and a silver spatula. He handed these items to David, who stood with a puzzled expression. The wood club was semi-rugged and battered, and the metal spatula had a few dings and scratches in it. He looked up at Zeb in slight confusion.
“Don’t worry kid, that’s for decoration, Ya can use that flashlight of course,” answered Zeb with a wink. David observed the items in his hands. The items were much heavier than expected, appearing more authentic than he initially thought. “Then what is this spatula for?” David asked, now starting to put his arsenal in his belt. “Flippin’ pancakes and eggs of course! Alright, just one last thing. Follow me,” Zeb said. They walked through the same tunnel they entered the warehouse from back into the lobby. Standing in front of the Police Entrance, Zeb tapped David’s shoulder.
“Ya see that booth over there?” Asked Zeb pointing towards the large statue.
“Yes,” responded David.
“That’s filled with all sorts of fun rules and stuff. Live it, love it, learn it capiche?” Said Zeb.
“Yes sir,” answered David.
“Aight, Be back here by seven hundred hours tomorrow, got it?”
“Yes sir,”
“Aight, get some rest, ya gonna need it,”
“I will thank you,”
“And stop callin’ me sir, will ya?” said Zeb as he disappeared through the door they just came through. David stared at the door for a few seconds, turned around and dragged himself to the center of the room. The monitors were square shaped and look like they have not been updated in years. David tapped a random key on one of the dusty keyboards and the screen in front of him lit up. The words “Welcome to The City of Jump, Press Space to Continue” in large all capital red letters were visible on a black backdrop, containing a white trampoline at the bottom. David pressed the space key with his left hand shaking anxiously, and the next screen read “To inquire about a refund, press 1, To schedule a jump time stamp, press 2, To read our laws and sign our contract, press 3” in all white letters reading from top to bottom. David pressed the “3” key on the keyboard. The screen then read “If you are a new civilian, press “1”, if you are an officer, press “2”, if you are simply inquiring our laws, press “3””, in the same white letters as before.
David pressed “2”, then the screen read “If you have worked here previously, press “1”, if you are a recruit press “2”. David then pressed the “2” key, and a screen of text popped up that said “Laws” in large letters on the top of the screen. Beneath the word “Laws” was a long series of text that was imprinted on a superimposed image of a scroll in a black cursive font. David started from the top and began reading the text. The first three laws were the same rules he had seen before “No walking, humor is everything, and always have your spatula”. It occupied the entire page, and after reading he pressed the right arrow key. The text he began to read started with a large “Warning!” before the cursive text and it read “The City of Jump is not held liable for any…” but just as David began to read the rest, he saw a white index finger with dark blue nail polish slam straight down on the right arrow key.
David startled and turned to face the person standing next to him. There was a girl standing there, around his age. Her attire resembled one of a flight attendant’s. Along her curvy figure contained a shamrock green double-breasted jacket, containing a double set of gold stripes around the cuffs, with a white shirt and shamrock neck-tie, and a shamrock knee length skirt and matching round peaked hat. Her cap had a gold trampoline pin, with a matching one on her chest, and her left ear contained a small sapphire earing. This girl was very attractive, with her green cap and outfit making her appear as a tall green hourglass, and had a slight stature over David. She was leaning on the podium, with her finger still on the right arrow key with her hip cocked to the side, and her riding boots pointed directly at David. It appeared to David that she was chewing gum, probably since she was smacking it so loud. David, part nervous from being startled and part from how attractive he found her, felt his heart beginning to beat rapidly as he began to sweat. The girl’s facial expression slowly grew to a smirk when she opened her mouth and said “Geez, dude, ya ain’t ever gonna get outta here readin’ like that.” David then looked over to the screen and saw how fast it was scrolling through a very arduous line of text. He noticed a piece of text that read “page – out of 75” but could not distinguish them since she was scrolling through so fast. “What’s ya name?” She asked still smirking as she chuckled. David then startled once more and turned his head to face hers. “I am uh…well my name is uh…” he stuttered with a nervous look on his face.
“Well, uhh, it’s nice to meet ya, I’m Rachel,” she said. David stuck his shaking hand out.
“What’s the matter, ain’t ya see a woman before? Give me some sugar honey,” Rachel said ecstatic, surprising David as she pulled him in and squeezed him hard against her large chest.
“My apologies,” David said, pulling back to dusting himself off.
“My apologies. Why are you brushing yourself off? Afraid I have cooties?” Rachel teased. She said this with a pair of alluring eyes leaning in towards David. She quickly leaned back and turned her head to face the monitor, continuing to smack her gum. As she came to the end of the last page, she turned her head to match David’s, who was looking down twiddling his thumbs. Rachel tried to smile at him, but he was not paying attention. She quickly changed her facial expression to a plain face and turned back around to face the screen. As she reached page “75” she said, “And, that about raps it up. Just gotta type ya name and press enter,” to which David reached over to the keyboard, almost touching Rachels hand by mistake. “So, what’s ya real name?” Rachel then asked, with her hips still cocked sideways as her hands rested on them.
“Well, my…my name is uh…” David nervously began to answer, but Rachel interrupted and said “Boy, don’t tell me it’s uh again. Now what’s ya name?” Rachel chuckled flirtatiously.
“Da…David,” he stammered.
“David. That’s cute, I’ll remember it,” she chuckled. “Well, go on get some sleep, Mercy, ya been in here forever, just look at ya hair!” She said taking David’s cap off to muss his hair. She put his cap back on and said, “See ya later” as she walked over to the Toll Stations, swaying her hips side to side in a very sensual manner. David, still anxious, walked over to the automatic opening and closing doors that read “Exit”, trudging tiredly out of the building. David turned around to observe the large scope of the exterior. The doors had the hours posted vertically in white painted letters which read “Sunday – Friday 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.” and “Saturday 9 a.m. – 12 a.m.”. The City of Jump was one hundred feet tall and wide, A box shaped dinosaur constructed entirely of red bricks. At the very top of the building, the words “The City of Jump” were placed in gigantic electronic red letters, with a giant electronic white trampoline under the word “Jump”. The word “Jump” stood above white lines forming a trampoline, and it would bounce up frequently. The building was placed in the center of a large parking lot, covering the buildings in the shopping center behind. The busy road behind was hardly noticeable due to the parking lot being downhill, but the sound of cars whizzing past were still audible although muffled. David could observe the rising sun that morning, struggling to make its way over the roof. The doors at the front of the building were averaged size, akin to a supermarket. Odd. Next to the doors were two clear windows, one on each side. David walked over to the window on the far right in which David could see his reflection. And he walked away slowly into the parking lot.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
