The Blackout War

Chapter 2: War Legends

A man rested without a care on a bunk with white sheets. Sunlight hit his wounded back, yet it was too weak to wake him up with heat. He'd been asleep for almost 12 hours straight, resting on a rented bed set in the middle of town, without a door or window. It was placed directly into the tall ceramic wall around the improvised town built around The Tower of London. 

Still asleep, he sniffed in front of him an odor incomparable to anything he had smelt before. With pain on his tired eyelids, he pressed hard on them and slowly opened them, first looking down into his nose and grown black beard. As he raised his view he found himself face to face with a chubby person staring at him dead in the face with eyes devoid of color. Pimples, acne and holes from necrosis grew all over his skin, the man was clearly dead… or at least in the process of it.

He jumped out of bed as he shook his head, turning to face the sun by accident and blinding him for some seconds. He covered the light with a hand and took his  rectangular pair of glasses that rested on a metallic cut cabinet without care next to him. He blinked twice and adjusted his short hair backwards, shaking his head and attempting to snap out of sleep.

As soon as he stepped out entirely, an Old Woman slowed him down back in - Hold on just one minute, Fenneck! you've been sleeping on that bed half a day, and I haven't gotten a single bloody cent of your sleeping ass in return - she demanded

The man smiled widely, fakely - Ah, good morning governor! - he cheered - Of course I was going to pay you but… I mean, I woke up in front of a leper who was dead so… I dunno! I guess that counts as poor service perhaps?

The woman pressed her eyes in disbelief, trying to come up with words to respond before turning to the dead man on her only other bed - Shit, you're right - She looked at him once more - You cheeky bastard, a man is dead!

Have a good day, governor - He said as he took his gray suit, a walking cane and walked off.

Behind his cheerful escapade, a mob of people surrounded the small Inn, glancing at the corpse. He kept walking, hitting the groud with his cane for support every step of the way, he kept his other hand behind his back and made pressure on it. The main plaza was filled to the brim with people, on the walls opposite to the Inn he saw the usual graffities reading "Let's bring Zero back to 0" and "England -> Land of Humans'' written in different styles and fonts. To Fenneck a of that was proof of the lack of creativity from the townsfolk, desperately trying to differentiate themself from Londstown and Greencamps, neighbor refugees they had to reclaim territory with.

Fenneck kept walking, accidentally crashing into some kids playing with a ball together, he laughed at them as they apologized. The town's fair of goods and food expelled the odor of the corpse off his nosetrails with the smell of freshly cut meat and vegetables, yet he kept walking. Now turning his attention on the "Hall of traitors''

This was a bit barbaric for his refined taste. On the southern walls a line of hung people with black marks on their cheeks swung left and right with the flow of the wind, to top it off, there were signs with messages on them. One, for example, read: "I used to make them, I understand them" and another simply stated "I hesitated". Fenneck, disgusted, looked down at the floor beneath the bodies and found traces of fallen and solidified blood by the cold. 

Savages… - He lamented

He kept on walking towards the cubic shaped castle, where the major resigned, his boss. He glanced at the marmol structures decorating the place, and the detailed trees that had been taken special care of by the people. Unnecessary, in his opinion

He took a turn to his right and found himself surrounded by castle like structures, yet he went straight into the one to his left with an unmoving clock on top, only stopped by two guards.