City of Demons by Brian Martinez

Author:Brian Martinez [Martinez, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloodstream City Press
Published: 2019-09-13T16:00:00+00:00

-11-

Further inland, where only a few tentacles of the ocean reached into the city, the old industrial zone of Santa Fausta functioned at a fraction of what it once had. Formerly a booming area that took in ships full of raw materials and gave back manufactured goods, now only the more desperate companies looking to capitalize on the cheap rent still operated there.

Judging by the smell, at least one of them enjoyed the loose chemical safety regulations as well.

Karen, Miku and Danny walked along the cracked concrete that weaved between the factories, a road wide enough to carry dump trucks and eighteen-wheelers. Blackened smoke stacks rose on either side, jutting from ailing brick and metal structures. The late-day sun reflected in any windows not broken out, red and orange patterns like dead pixels captured in glass.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Danny asked, kicking some snow that had collected in a pothole.

"This is the address Singh gave us. It’s just a matter of finding the right building." Karen scanned the area." The problem is, I don't see any numbers."

"If only someone had invented computers, our lives would be so much easier. Imagine some kind of magical place where you could search for things and find them. A vast web, you might say." He turned to Karen. "Hey, you're familiar with webs."

"Being under the radar means not being able to use the radar. Instead of the sarcasm, you could make yourself useful and start looking."

Danny grumbled as they spread out along the road. They soon found each building had a small sign in front of it stamped with a number, though most were covered by dead grass. They cleared away the dry brush to find the metal signs.

"I found it!" Miku cried out. They joined her, looking up at the crumbling building. Red paint cracked and peeled from its angular facade. Air passed through the abandoned place like the voices of the dead, mournful wailing that rose and fell with the wind.

Danny shook his head. "It had to be the creepy one."

"They're all creepy," Miku said.

"Takes one to know one."

She pouted. "I'm not creepy."

"Not at all. By the way, tell the dead god living in you I said hi."

"That's enough," Karen ordered. Just then a worker passed them by, on his way home from his shift. He regarded them with half interest as he lit a cigarette. "We…are allowed to be here," Karen said awkwardly.

He took the cigarette from his dirty lips. "I don't get paid enough to care," he said, gray smoke crawling from his mouth. He kept walking along the industrial road without so much as a glance back, the smoke trailing behind him. They watched him go, then with a shrug turned and walked to the old, red building. What was left of a condemned sign had been glued to the large door. They ignored it and headed inside.

The hollowed-out factory was spacious and dark, lit only by the fading sunlight creeping through dirty windows high above.

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