Hiss of the Steam

Hiss of the Steam Chapter 2 - The City of Steam

~~2~~

 

Chapter two

The city of steam

 

Just  as the sun was going down, I saw smoke rising above a hill. I quickened my pace so I could get to the town sooner. But when I got to the top of the hill, I stopped. At the entrance to the city stood two thugs. “Those must be some of the gang members they were talking about,” I said quietly to myself. The lower city has always been a place of crime and poverty, and having little to no police force in the city doesn’t help. The lower city was actually where I lived until Gerick found me. Icarus is a floating country. It consists of three levels: the lower city, the middle city, and the upper city. The middle city is a much cleaner city than the lower, and most of the middle classed people live there. The upper city contains the rich, politicians, and other government members. I began to walk down the hill towards the gates to the city.

 

“Oy! You there! You want to come into the city?” the thug on the right asked.

 

“Yes, I would. So could you open the gate?” I asked, remaining calm.

 

“Depends. How much money ya got fer us mate?” asked the one on the left.

I only had a few silver pieces but I wasn't about to give it to them.

 

“Well?” The one on the left said impatiently.

 

“I don’t have any money for you,” I said, preparing myself for a fight.

 

“Well then, that’s just too damn bad. Get ‘em!” the right one yelled. They both charged at me. Remembering my military training, I raised my fists. The left one got to me first and lunged at me with all his strength. I dodged off to the side and he fell into the dirt. The second one pulled out a dagger and was rushing towards me. I grabbed his wrist and twisted, causing him to drop the knife. I let go and had bent over to to grab it when a heavy boot smashed down onto my back, shoving my face into the dirt.

“Not so tough now, are ya, mate?” the owner of the boot asked. I had completely forgotten about him. His accomplice began to kick me in the side. Then I heard a gunshot and he stopped.

 

“Oy!” I heard the one holding me down yell. I also heard a loud thump. “Who’s there!” he yelled, taking his foot off me. I seized the chance and kicked out his leg. He let out a cry and fell to the ground, hitting his head on fairly sized rock, which rendered him unconscious. I stood up, wiping the dust from my clothes. I could hear footsteps getting closer to me. I knelt down and grabbed the knife. A hooded figure stepped out of the bushes.

 

“You can put the knife down; I’m not with them. I noticed the commotion and ran over here.” the hooded figure said, holstering a fancy revolver. “Damn thugs keep coming out here to tax people leaving and entering the city.” Judging by the voice, the person talking to me was a girl. She took her hood off and I gasped and so did she.

 

“Mark?!?”

 

“Amber?!?”

 

We both yelled simultaneously. Her full name was Amber Gears. Amber was another orphan Gerick had taken in. At the time she was 21, and me 22. She was being apprenticed just as I was. We were the best of friends, until I left for the military. She, just like Gerick, did not approve of me joining the military.  I wasn’t sure why, but whenever I brought it up she would get depressed. I had never asked her about it because I thought it would be rude.