𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑-𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒 || Peaky Blinders

I.

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ
ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɴɢᴇʟ

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   THE STARK CONTRAST of the countryside to Birmingham was rather prevalent for the last half an hour of her journey. Grey smog swirled with the crystal blue of the surrounding villages, highlighting where factories bustled through the night. This old train stood out amongst the greenery but blended well in the city as smoke billowed into the sky, allowing the steam train to surge forward. A sharp whistle pulled her out of any daydream she had, informing her that they'd be pulling into the station soon. She was the only one left in her compartment, it was the final stop on this line. It looked exactly how she remembered it, only more run down and far less joyful. But that didn't surprise her, nowhere was the same anymore.

   When the wheels screeched to a stop, she wasn't sure if she was ready for this submergence back into the family life. After all, she had been mostly on her own for the past decade. It made her stomach tighten and knot at her families slight detest of her being there. That could wait. She grabbed her case full of what little belongings she had left before stepping out onto the platform and shutting the carriage behind her. The cities toxic air infiltrated her lungs as she took in her surroundings. Where grand suspensions once shined, they were now rusted and broken. While underpaid and overworked civilians slumped past her, she could tell something was up. War had changed the people, the city, the country.

   She wanted to change that, even before she was sent off to be a nurse. The girl had wanted to help people as she feared that someone else would end up far worse than she had. Nobody deserved that. And it was the sole reason she had arrived here far earlier than she had told her Auntie she would, there was someone important to meet first. Leaning against the wall, she waited for them.

   "Martha, is it?" That thick Brummie accent smothered his words. Her head shot up as she was face to face with an average height man dressed in a beige coloured coat and a black trilby hat that matched his striped shirt. His face looked slightly withered and rough because of his stubbly beard but his youth shone through the glimmer in his eyes.

   "And you are?" She could never be too sure, everything could go wrong with a single Copper involved.

   "Freddie Thorne," He said, sticking out his hand which she shook. It was nice to be acquainted, they were going to be working together after all. "Ye' seem familiar, have ye' been to Small Heath before?" The man asked, a small frown on his face.

   "A few times, not been back for a few years." She told him before racking through her jacket pockets for a letter. "News from London, burn it when you're done. It has the address and the money in there." Martha spoke cryptically, she didn't know the ins and outs of this place and definitely wasn't up for putting her head on the chopping block.

   "If that's all..." He trailed off, stuffing the letter into his inner pocket. "Welcome to Small Heath, comrade."

   She flashed him a small smile before they departed ways, too much time in one spot was bound to get them caught. So, she slipped up the stair, heading to her next destination of where two things waited for her: a job that her Auntie had secured her and her cousins that were going to take her to her new apartment.

   Upon exiting the station, the first thing she noticed was the abundance of new factories that were filling the atmosphere with ashy clouds and poisonous substances - she was shocked that there was any more room to cram them all into but she wasn't surprised that they had built more. Too many people and not enough jobs.