The Fallen City

|Chapter XV: Man's Endeavour

He saw the Mercedes as soon as he entered the car park. The black car did not fit in anywhere near here, it was top both of the range and massive. However, given the faint scratches on the folded wing mirrors, noticed only when Gale gave it a thorough once over, it was evident it barely fit in the carpark.

"Alban you have too much money to spend... and you don't care for the shit you buy." The man muttered as he opened it.

It had been too long since he had sat in a car, let alone drove one. Yet as soon as he took up his driving position and rested his hands on the steering wheel he immediately felt it come back to him, the engine roared as he hit the ignition. The beast growled, awaiting the journey.

"Ok, we've got over five hundred miles to cover, then find one lass in a country with a population of eleven million." He muttered to himself as he adjusted everything, pulling out a cigarette in the process. With it lit he finally looked forward, like seeing the journey to come.

He shook his head viciously for a moment, a trail of ash and smoke dispersed through the cabin. He took one last look at, well... Home. He'd miss it, and he hoped, on some level, that he would come back to it again...

To it and his boy.

"You talk too much Gale." He spoke as he set the black beast off. Its engine begged to be let free as it rumbled to the exit. Its rumble was replaced with a pained scrape as it barely fit through the gate. "Does it need to be that big? Seriously... Bloody driven smaller tanks."

The roads were always quiet near his home, belittling the manic streets beyond. In a world of second hand cars and rusted vans barely road legal, the Mercedes stood out like a sore thumb, its glossy black finish reflected the lights of the world around it. It took little time for this monstrosity to push onwards, and hit the motorways of cloudy England.

All the while Gale thought heavily about what he was doing, where he was going. Someone he didn't know, yet he knew she could help to save what he cared about. If only Alban understood it, maybe this journey wouldn't be needed. Maybe they could've done it together.

That's what hurt the most, that this could've all been different. What was done, was done, even if it did make a tear shed loose down his cheek.

He wiped it away as quickly as it came, remembering that mistakes were lessons he hadn't learned yet. Just a shame this was one he couldn't ever repeat.

In the time it took for him to cross the country's road network he could feel the endless drop of his eyelids. The night had rolled in, with the setting of the sun marking the time long after he would normally descend into a sleep to take him to the City.

He kept driving, the lay of the land meaningless to him, the road signs that scattered the motorway he disregarded. Even the drivers around him, he felt nothing for them but irritation. The lights of the road drowned out the stars he used to look up to. Only a vague flash of silver light across the sky marked anything worthwhile looking up to. It was a pity. They, for so many years, were the only thing beautiful about this world.

Gale drove on in near unbroken silence. He said very little, mainly insults to other drivers. The radio hadn't played once during his whole journey. Instead he enjoyed the sounds of the road alone, the tires against the asphalt. The cars driving by, but most specifically, the roar of the car's engine, drowning out the crackle of his cigarettes burning away.

Try as he might he couldn't reach the cross-channel port in one day, and for that he knew he would owe an apology, if the old Gale would allow it. A time long ago he could make it to the port and cross in a night, but in these times Gale felt the fatigue of a long drive much sooner than he should have. It surprised him, admittedly, he hadn't expected that change to occur so quickly.

He peeled off the motorway up into a sophisticated service station, its architecture impressive for its means, but it paled compared to the spires he held true and dear. He parked the massive black monstrosity with little effort. Pulling it alongside cars that could only wish to one day be remade into something as impressive as it. Cars whose owners had a glint of envy upon sight of it.

The night air was frigid and sharp when Gale stepped out of the car, for the first time in many hours he felt the world beyond the spacious cabin. The world began to press on him with the dull roar of the motorway and the incoherent babble of 'them'. He sparked a fresh new cigarette shortly after stepping out, and hurriedly drew some cash from an inside pocket. With the amount there was no doubt he'd be able to get a room with it.

The car park took a while to cross, enough time for Gale to feel the pressure of the world compact him. He quickened his pace, letting the stub of his cigarette fall to the floor. The car clicked locked behind him as he walked to the hotel entrance. His feet scuffed as they went. His legs were dragging.

The room they gave him was quite bland. A regular hotel affair, it left much to be desired. But it was his new kingdom, at least for one night. His jacket was slung over a chair, he'd emptied his pockets onto the dresser. The room was a quiet haven, it was wonderfully isolated, he had no one to disturb him. It was bliss

Gale reached into his jacket for the little metal hip flask as he surveyed the new landscape one last time. He even took a despair-filled look at the hotel's menu. Taking a quick drink out of disgust. "Twenty two quid for a steak? You get that for half the price in Lidl."

Gale's eyes glazed as he leaned back against the dresser. He thought hard for a moment. A long moment.

His mind set ,he left the hotel, quick-stepping through the pressing commotion to the attached service station. It was late at night, it took a lot of effort to find someone who could serve him, he leaned down as the slow weight of tiredness began pushing.

"Do you have a map?"