Wanted dead and alive ~ A Hellsing fanfiction.

Chapter one wanted dead and alive

CHAPTER ONE
Wanted dead and alive

Year 2025, thirty years after Millennium.

Late Summer in London, or at least what looked like a shadow of London from long ago, was as any other summer would be. The air was warm, the sun shone occasionally, and the weather was not as dreary as normal.

There was a soft breeze from the east that buzzed past sapling trees along the cracked pavement. They waved their tiny branches in the wind as leaves and newspapers from about the area blew down the charred streets. Cracks, whole blackened areas of concrete, and massive creators used to be a normal sight in a typical London day. What seemed scenery from a war zone was nothing less than a boring walk way.

Of and on in the distance the sounds of construction echoed from the main downtown area of the city. Jackhammers, cranes, and the roar of trucks became the daily orchestra.
Thirsty years after the attack, and still the city was recovering. The damage was catastrophic.

In the reconstructed parts of London, west of the downtown district, the population was steadily growing. Slowly but surely West End was coming back together. None of the major attractions such as the theaters, tourist traps or government buildings were fully restored; but gradual repair slowly crawled its was across the healing city.
Buildings stretched into the sky again, casting shadows over a London that once stood in its place. Small business took root, restraints were opened, stores, and just about anything a person could need.

The residency was low compared to ten years prior. The scale of English death in that one night rivaled even their most bloody wars. Some nations had called it a genocide of English life. Only  five years ago did people have the courage to come into London again. Homes, of corse, were cheap and eagerly sold off to any who would buy or lease. Who would want to live in a town where nearly every single citizen was murderer brutally.

Though despite that gruesome fact, people had to come. Mainly the poor at first as the prices on new homes were so low. But with more people came more business, more builders, more cause to grow. And so, gradually, and with support from other countries; London began to flourish once more.

On this pleasant summer day many would walk about in the smaller, newly laid towns sprouting in the West End. Like any other people they visited restaurants, grocery shopped, and carried on.
One such restaurant was particularly popular. A small establishment called New Nook caught the hearts and stomachs of the surrounding neighborhoods.

The legend behind the restaurant was that before the attack, a similar restaurant called The Nook once stood in that exact spot. After the rebuilding started a year later, members of the family who owned that restaurant reclaimed the property and built a new restaurant dubbed New Nook.

New Nook was especially popular for their takes on Beef Wellington, Hog's pudding and Bakewell tart; all family recipes. At this time of the day New Nook took a decent amount of customers seeking that old English taste. Places like this sprouted all over West end, trying to preserve culture and history through pleasing means. And what could be more pleasing than food?

With such a high demand for this cultural and delicious phenomena the establishment took on a fair number of employees. All came from different backgrounds and levels of experience. A job like this was in demand with new businesses opening and the public wanted their bit of comfort through fine cooked food.

Jane was one such employee at New Nook. Freshly graduated from Penwood university, a small newly built facility, Jane was more than qualified for the job. Regardless her degree was in literature and English studies and not hospitality; having a degree was looked upon highly. It didn't matter if your degree was for math, science or a brand of liberal study; what mattered was the effort shown. Degrees meant a hard working employee amidst a poor, regrowing city. That was a sought quality.