The sound of an engine echoed through the crowded and treacherous streets of London; a place I once called home and loved to my heart, now crumbled into a wasteland full of drunken old men who guzzled their pain away from a bottle of alcohol. I managed to steal the car from those London boys I killed. It was a sad moment, even for me, however I had to survive in order to save my beloved from that horrendous nightmare that we're all cursed with.
Life wasn't fair, destiny wasn't fair, and god wasn't fair. That young lad that I finished back there mentioned something about god cursing us with this disease by sending these entities to our world... however I believe that is rubbish. We humans have only ourselves, and we can only trust in ourselves in these desperate times of Armageddon. There's no savior... it's only man for themselves, and it's time that we stop relying on a higher power out there to help us. After all... the higher power that we pray to may just be these entities rather than the god you seen in a biblical tale.
These thoughts inside my head were driving me feral, I couldn't get them out my head while I made my way down the streets of London... but all the sudden I came to a stop by slamming into something. "What?" I muttered, realizing whatever I hit must've been heavy and sturdy. Maybe even alive. "Who was that? What fool would be walking in the middle of the street, in front of a moving car?" I looked around me outside the windows, and to sidewalks of the road, noticing people laughing while others merely stared at something in front of the car without any sort of emotion.
I must've hit something for sure, but leaving my car was a fools choice. Knowing how gangs set up traps for their prey by schemes such as putting money in the windshield and waiting for you to get out the car to take it, just so they could run inside your car while it's running and drive off with it. Other schemes involves picking up pedestrians in the middle of the night, only to be ambushed by a group of men once you accept the offer, and beaten up halfway to death as they steal your car and belongings.
The world isn't safe by any means, especially in this era of Armageddon. Currently I could be in a sort of trap... but then again I could also be overreacting. Whatever happens next was on me; do I get out the car and check for whatever I hit, or do I drive off and leave it there...? I did value human life still, I wasn't some monster unless some buffoon pushed me to be one. These people around me could be deceitful... trying to mislead me in making a wrong choice, though once I tried strategizing a solution I could hear a knock on the window.
"Excuse me sir, right in the middle of the road you hit someone!" It was a beautiful lady dressed in clothes of a maid. Her brunette hair was clean and tied into a ponytail, her chest was quite large... however her hands placed on my windshield had taken me away. They weren't hands of a maid at all, unless she recently became one... but I refused to make that assumption. The brunette knocking on my window was no maid despite the clothes she wore. She was merely part of this elaborate scheme with these people around me on the sidewalk. I was a detective after all, and I could notice if someone really has been working as a maid from how muscular their hands look, along with protruding veins. This woman's hands were tender, and frail. How deceitful, I almost fell into their trap. "Sir, excuse me!? Do you hear me sir?"
I didn't answer her. My expression only became emotionless again once I faced the road and closed my eyes... releasing a heavy sigh inside the piping hot car with barely any room to breathe with my bandana wrapped around my face. "If you would've hidden your hands, then perhaps I would've fallen into your trap." Once those words left my mouth her expression became angered... and she pulled something from underneath her dress, however before she could pull it out, I opened the car door with enough force to slam her down, and driven off.
"That bloody bloke! Kill him, shoot him down before he gets away!" One of the men on the sidewalk came clean-cut with their actions, and I could hear flintlock pistols behind me firing in quick successions. Bullets bolted into the car as I ducked my head, evading each one of them to the best of my ability. "Damnit no! Don't let him get away, he has the perfect car we can take!" All the sudden I could hear pistols from above me firing down from houses around this section of the road. By the sound of it, these bullets came from the second floor of the buildings, thus, aiming must've been a hard thing to do.
"A bloody ambush!" I cried to myself, eventually reaching the end of the road and turning a hard-right. Once I made my turn I could see a bridge up ahead that led to another section of the city where it was safer, so I mashed my foot harder into the gas pedal, driving forward at max speed to quickly leave this section of the city. The car was nearly out of gas, so I made use of the leftovers much as I can. Eventually I crossed the bridge over the large river stream underneath it, making my way into another section of London.
I could take a breather upon my arrival, placing my forehead on the steering wheel and holding my chest while panting like a wild dog in the summer heat. My body was drowning in fear, and my heart rate accelerated faster than it has ever done before. In just one day I had two near death experiences from simply leaving my home. That is why I stay inside... however this was all for my beloved, and me.
Ever since she fell asleep and conceded to the Dreadbane disease, I moved her from the house to basement for safety, just in case we were ever robbed, or gunned down in our own home. I always kept the basement nice and neat just as she likes it, and I always made sure to spread incenses around the basement to release a smell of either cinnamon, or nature. I loved her dearly, but I never cleaned up after myself... that's why my house is moldy and filled with mice, insects and other bugs crawling around through my wooden flooring.
I was miserable, and I lost hope on surviving many times, though with Abigail and her presence nearby, it gives me energy to keep moving forward and become a bigger man than I already was from before. I couldn't die here, not now... or ever, until I release her from this Dreadbane disease once and for all.
After finally regaining my breath, my foot slowly pushed down on the gas pedal driving slowly through the safer section of London, and searching for any shopping markets, or trading stands that were open; my goal right now was to get food and jugs of water at all costs, even if it means taking someone's life if I had too.
It pained me seeing London this way. The clock towers through the city use to look so beautiful along with the gorgeous architectural design of the road pavement... but now everything was either in ruins or destroyed, even the lampposts on the side of the road were bent out of shape, or either scattered on the streets. Once I made a left turn I finally came across people. One was a maid cleaning the streets to the outside of a apartment complex, and another was a whore looking for men to seduce in order to make money off of them. This was quite natural even before the apocalypse, so seeing such a thing did put a smile on my face for a moment, remembering how home use to be.
I came to a stop on the side of a road, parking the car as I opened the door and adjusted my top hat on my head. This part of the city is safe, and there is a likelihood of men willing to sell food and water for a little something in return such as jewelry, and other fancy items. I had just the thing if it came to that, thus it's best I tried my luck here. I walked down the sidewalk and tipped down my hat with a small bow from my head, "Morning Madam" I greeted the maid sweeping on the sidewalk.
"Good morning good sir, how do you do on this fine evening?" She asked me in such a humble tone of voice, putting a bright smile on my face underneath the bandana.
"I am doing quite well, I'm merely searching for food and water to regain vitality once again. It's been quite hard living on the rations that I have now." The maiden looked up at me while placing both her hands on top of the broom, resting her chin on them both. She crept a smile on her pretty face and nodded her head to the side, directing me to the apartment door in front of us.
"Then going inside there is your best bet, my good sir. There are plenty of blokes who are trading, and you may have a chance on acquiring valuable rations there." I looked at the door that she directed me to with her head, hesitating for a moment but also taking the chance. I walked straight to the door and opened it, turning to her and nodding.
"I thank you miss, may you have a wonderful rest of your evening." I tilted down my hat once more and walked inside, closing the door behind me. After this was done, I could go home... at least I hope that was the case.