The city in general carried an oddly musty smell now which Samuel assumed was from the number of dead. It was quiet too, with almost no cars left on the roads, their routes either obstructed by crashes or running too close to riots and angry mobs. People still formed groups where they had something to protest or demand. Hot spots included hospitals and supermarkets, people now going after what they knew still held value as opposed to the first few days when the mobs targeted banks.
Samuel wouldn’t easily forget the violent mob that had chased him and Austin out of the Trident building, nor the aggressive criminals that stormed into the epilepsy ward at the hospital and shot Doctor Miller dead. There may be some people left in the city who still had their humanity, but it was clear to see that most had lost it in the collapse. As he had thought a number of times before, Trident had truly taken a great deal more than just the money in people’s accounts.
“Whoa. Stop.”
Lost in his thoughts, Samuel had been following Austin robotically, not paying the appropriate attention to their surroundings. Austin was forced to grab his friend by the arm and pull him back as Samuel continued walking, unaware of the group of men waiting just across the road.
“Shh,” Austin held a finger against his lips, indicating the men Samuel hadn’t noticed. There were perhaps ten or twelve of them all standing around outside a fast food joint. The place – Dixie’s Fried Chicken – actually still seemed to be open, the aroma of herbs and spices floating down the road and caressing the two men’s nostrils. Clearly this was a key location for one of the gangs from The Bronx and not something that Austin and Samuel wanted to get caught up in.
“Let’s go around,” Austin whispered, keeping his voice low and his back against the brickwork to ensure they weren’t seen. “We can cut through the back alleys.”
Samuel nodded, he could see at least three of the men had guns stuffed down the back of their pants. They wanted the weapons to be noticeable. If someone carried a gun like that, Samuel could only assume it meant they had little problem with firing it. They stood around, talking and laughing like they weren’t in the middle of a major catastrophe, their lives seeming quite unaffected by the situation that had upturned so many others’ lives.
Austin moved more carefully now as he led the two of them back the way they had come, then down a narrow alleyway with high brick walls on either side. They kept quiet, communicating only with their eyes as neither wanted to be overheard by the gang of men.
While they technically didn’t pose any threat, they were both carrying large rucksacks which even to an untrained eye likely carried some useful resources. That made them both targets and neither one of them wanted to be caught. Samuel was petrified of the wrong person bumping into them and recognizing him from the television just like Agnes had, aware just how badly it could end up for him.
Creeping through the alley, the pair of them reached what had to be the back of Dixie’s Fried Chicken. The aromas wafting out of the back of the air filtration system and into the alleyway made both men instantly salivate, the mouthwatering smells reminding them of the food they were already missing.
What was of even more interest though, was that they could hear voices coming from inside the building. The back door which led out into the alley was partially ajar, meaning Samuel and Austin could hear the conversation being held on the other side. Raising their eyebrows at one another, both men stopped walking to listen.
“We really missed the boat with all the hospital raids,” one voice said. “Those meds are definitely the best trade option.”
“Everyone needs food as well though. Once word gets out that we’ve got this place up and running, people will flock here. And not just for what’s on the menu either.”
“Yeah it’s a good trading base. How’s it going getting the word out about everything we’ve got?”
“Well that’s the hard part. We don’t really want to give too much away, do we? What if someone tries to raid us?”
“Let them try. I don’t think they’d get very far.”
Laugher erupted from inside. Samuel looked at Austin with caution. The gang was using the fried chicken shop as a base. Curiosity got the better of them and Austin and Samuel remained still and pressed up to the door, listening as the conversation evolved.
“Did you see what happened to RJ? He nearly had his kneecaps blown off when he and Max were snooping around the bikers’ turf.”
“Their haul has given them too much power. They think they own the whole city now.”
“They don’t.”
“They’ll fall pretty hard if they’re really acting like that. Long way to come crashing down.”
“What happened to RJ? Is he okay?”
“Bullet nicked the back of his leg. It’s just a flesh wound so he can walk still, but he’s got a bit of a limp.”
“I’d like to see them try that around us again. Once this place is up and running, I bet they won’t dare come around these parts.”
“I’m not so sure, Deke. They seem pretty serious.”
“So are we. I’m not letting any biker get the better of me.”
They were referring to the gang that had busted up the hospital they were in the day before. The power of the gangs throughout the city was growing bigger and bigger each day, turf wars already resulting in gun fights. It sounded like RJ got off lightly.
Samuel caught Austin’s gaze and raised his eyebrows. “Wanna get out of here,” he whispered. They’d heard enough for one day and
