Death City (Book 1)

Chapter 22: Crossroads

Ghost town was the only thing that could be used to describe the shopping district late that afternoon. What was usually a popular and lively gathering spot for locals was mostly dead, with only a few people walking the streets. A cold chill filled the air and the grey skies above appeared ready to give way to stormy weather soon. Even for an area known for its overcast weather, this day seemed especially dreary and dark. Dawn and the others arrived there after leaving campus, meeting near a water fountain outside of a strip mall.

Everyone in the group gathered in a circle beside the fountain to go over the plan one last time before departing. Warren and Aria sat beside each other, patiently awaiting further direction. Thomas stood next to Dawn with his hands up behind his head, blowing into the air. Dawn silently observed how restless Sky seemed, repeatedly tapping on the ground with his foot and anxiously looking around. Soon enough, he came before everyone and brought them in closer.

"Looks like Price has already started, so let's split up now," said Sky. "We should each get one location. We'll cover more ground that way. There's no need to split into pairs for this."

"Yeah that makes sense," said Dawn.

"Okay then," said Aria. "I'll go check Leena's Jewelry and see if I can pry some info out of the owner there."

"I got The Coffee House," added Warren. "Definitely not because I want a latte or café dessert or anything though."

Thomas scratched his head. "Uh, I guess I'll check out some of these high fashion shops then. He did say someone was stealing clothes, right?"

"Yeah. I'm going to ask around the library and gun store," said Sky.

"And I'll just ask any locals or passerby if they've seen anything," said Dawn. "They would know best if something were out of the ordinary."

Sky nodded. "Sounds like a plan. We'll meet back here in one hour."

The group all voiced their agreement before going their separate ways. As she walked the empty shopping district looking for people to approach, Dawn was overcome with a sense of dread. It was not the same feeling she had when going to Death City, but it was an oddly similar apprehension, as though a demon or some other evil entity had been in the area recently. She was at least glad this mission wasn't anywhere near as dangerous as their previous ones.

Surprisingly, however, the task was turning out to be just as challenging. With the streets basically empty, it was impossible to carry out the assignment. Scouring the area for someone to question, Dawn wandered beyond the shopping district and into a nearby park, where she found an elderly gentleman sitting on a park bench reading a newspaper. Unapproachable as he was, intently reading and holding the papers with a death grip, Dawn shook her nerves and went in to question him.

"Hello, mister," she said. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

"Whaddya want? Can't you see I'm reading here?" The man glared at her over the top of the newspapers.

"Uh, yeah, I'm really sorry. It's just there's been rumors about some weird sightings around the shopping district. Have you seen or heard anything unusual?"

"Just more and more of you crazy, teenage punks running around making a mess of what used to be a peaceful town!"

"Oh, I see. Wait, did you see anyone in particular that stood out to you?"

"Hell, if I know! Every kid these days walks around with wild hairstyles and crazy clothes!"

"Hmm. Okay, thanks for all your help mister!"

That was no help at all, thought Dawn. Or at least it seemed that way on the surface. Wild hairstyles. Crazy Clothes. Dawn pondered his words for a moment. It could be nothing, but even to a traditional, older man, how crazy or wild can someone's hairstyle or clothing be? For him to say that, such a person must have had a very distinct appearance. Although it was not much to go on, it was something. And with that in mind, Dawn continued to dig deeper in her search for clues.