[ WP ] You live in a dystopian future where anyone who breaks a law is executed except the most wanted criminal . You just committed a minor crime and now must fight , murder , and steal your way to the top of the most wanted list .

Clyde Castillo made his way through the mall, gun in hand with a bag strapped around his shoulder. He moved from store-to-store and made sure that he cleared out every register and safe box he saw. The last store he entered he had to slam his way through the window. He smashed it with the butt of his gun. `` Every one down on the ground, now!'' 
 
 He fired off a shot into the ceiling. The crowd inside the jewelry store, a small one now, dropped to the floor as he moved straight to the back. `` You know the drill!'' He opened the bag and kept his gun trained on the first person in front of him. They emptied their registers and display cases and fed Clyde's ongoing stash. 
 
 `` I'm sorry,'' he said to the last woman, `` you know the rules.'' She sobbed as she tossed the last of the jewels into the bag. Clyde swore she nodded a bit. Everyone knew the rules. He closed the bag up and backed out the same way he came, `` No murder,'' Clyde said as he fired off one last shot into the ceiling and then ran off. 
 
 It was n't the way things were supposed to go, he thought to himself. He had only stolen once in his life, a few weeks ago because he desperately needed food. These days, that was hard to come. Harder than jewels and entertainment devices that littered the malls of the rich, those who lived in the Sectors rather than the Zones and Wards of the middle-class and poor. Clyde knew that life. He knew it for far too long. 
 
 The rules were clear though, he repeated in his head as he threw the bag into the back of his car, another item he had stolen in the last month. The Annual Culling was happening in a few weeks and he needed to get to the top of the Crime list before then. Everyone else, the criminals registered in the system-as they all were-would be taken in the night and executed. The Culling made sure only the best Criminals survived. 
 
 Those Criminals came to be Hunters. To protect their place in the Most Wanted List they went out and murdered other criminals. Clyde sighed, he knew he was quickly carrying himself to the top of the list and the Hunters would be notified of him soon, but he had no other choice. He did n't live a great life, but he lived it enough to know that *he* was worth it. He was smart, he fought in the Canton's wars long enough to say that he deserved to live in *their* world. If that cost was becoming a Hunter, if it was murdering other criminals, he would do it. 
 
 Clyde shut the trunk of his car and turned around, gun still raised. He made sure no one watched him or followed him outside. Hunters were equipped with some of the best weapons and supplies in the Canton's arsenal; he needed the robberies to buy those weapons and supplies. 
 
 `` Castillo!'' Someone yelled. 
 
 He had opened his door and swung his gun over it before looking at the person in front of him. 
 
 `` Do n't shoot!'' He held his gun in the air. A small, young woman stood in front of him. She had a helmet on, along with a semi-automatic rifle in her left hand. Her clothes were tattered and torn and a large C-2 was burned on the front of her leather corset. She smirked. `` You're rising pretty quickly, you know that?'' 
 
 C-2. The criminal in the 2nd spot, the 2nd best Hunter in the entire Canton. Faye, Clyde remembered, `` Faye Baker.'' 
 
 `` Aye, you know your criminals.'' She took a step forward. She did n't raise her weapon, she simply walked. To Clyde, she was n't a threat at the moment. `` Who's number one?'' 
 
 `` *Maven*.'' 
 
 `` His real name?'' 
 
 `` Sammy Hicks.'' 
 
 She smiled again, `` What are you at?'' 
 
 Clyde never lowered his gun as he glanced at his arm. There, where his Canton registry chip was embedded into his arm, was a neon list of the Top 5 Criminals, along with his rank at the bottom. `` My indicator says 36th.'' 
 
 `` Nineteen days til the Cull. Think you can make it?'' 
 
 `` I have to try.'' 
 
 `` Aye, I guess we all do.'' 
 
 `` What do you want from me?'' 
 
 Faye lowered her weapon into both of her hands and shrugged. `` You show promise. Smart hacker, knows what stores to hit and when.'' She raised an eyebrow, `` *Does n't kill*.'' 
 
 `` I've killed enough for the Canton.'' 
 
 She smiled, `` Have n't we all.'' 
 
 `` What do you want Faye?'' 
 
 `` I want the number one spot.'' 
 
 `` And how does that help me?'' He was uneasy now. Maybe this was a trap, an elaborate ruse by the Hunters to play with the petty criminals. 
 
 `` You're going to help me get there. In return,'' she smiled, `` you'll stay as number two.'' She reached around her back with her left hand and grabbed a.500 Smith and Wesson handgun. The most powerful in the world, as well as being known for the sidearm of choice of Hunters. `` Weapons. Supplies. Some semblance of safety.'' 
 
 `` That's the catch though? You want to be number one.'' 
 
 `` Maven's getting old,'' she said, `` it's time his reign ended.'' 
 
 Clyde smirked. He knew he could n't trust Faye, but then again, he could n't trust anyone anymore. Not as a contender for the Top Five. He just needed the help. He needed to get there. `` Okay Faye, I'm in.'' 
 
 She smirked. `` Let the hunt begin then.'' 
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 *This was a great prompt! Thank you! Check out /r/BlankPagesEmptyMugs for more of my work! *
