The Halting by Flauding Lauren M

Author:Flauding, Lauren M.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blurtery
Published: 2016-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

November 29

Edinburgh is creepy. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful, absolutely breathtaking. But definitely creepy. It probably doesn't help that there are thousands of sleepers out in the streets and in the shops, frozen in animated conversations and on their way to places they'll never get to. It's weird, really. You'd think that the absence of people would cause something to be eerie, but as we walk up The Royal Mile toward the castle in a cold, thick fog, it's hard not to shiver every time I pass a sleeper.

By some miracle we all made it here in one piece last night, although the incredibly rough landing may have caused a few of us some irreparable psychological damage. We found some buses and drove into the city, then spent the night in a very colorful hostel, but nobody got much sleep. You would have thought it was a 12-year-old girl's slumber party with the way everyone was talking and laughing and running around. People kept popping in to introduce themselves and compare stories and ask where we were from. By the time everyone started dozing off the sun was coming up.

As we near the castle, I notice stands and booths lining both sides of the street. When we get closer, I see people are selling all sorts of foods, goods, and other oddities. There's an old man selling pies, a lady selling Hamm radios, and a surprising amount of people selling scented candles. Tag and I stop at a booth and buy some cinnamon roasted almonds before heading into the castle.

Inside the castle there are even more booths, but these ones are mostly informational. I pass banners that advertise things such as: "How to thrive in a decreased population," and "The 10 best ways to protect your we non-moving neighbors." Lively music is blaring out of several speakers and everyone seems really excited. It's like a friendly, medieval, doomsday trade show.

There are dozens of cultures represented and I keep hearing snatches of different foreign languages. I'm a little overwhelmed at seeing so many people in one place — there's just so much movement. I start to get dizzy, but then I catch a glimpse of Tag out of the corner of my eye and the feeling passes.

The thing that I find most unusual, though, is that there doesn’t appear to be any young people. Mostly everyone is over 30, although once in a while I spot someone who might be in their mid 20s. It's a little unnerving and makes me feel even smaller than I usually do.

After we've walked around for a while we're herded out into a large courtyard where a small platform and projector have been set up. We all crowd into the space as best as we can, but it's really tight. Although it's cold outside, there's soon plenty of warmth as we all smash up against each other. There must be almost a thousand people here.

A microphone crackles and a woman steps up on the platform.

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