The City - PewdieCry

Prologue

I'll be honest, I've been on Wattpad for two years and had never heard of The Watty's. No idea how that works, but it did.

I, however, wanted to enter with something and was already creating this book as the thought hit me. So, this is my entry into The Watty's!

Enjoy!

....

The night was cold as I stood out to embrace it. The cosmos above were clear, millions of stars raging above me in brilliant colors, vibrant and shining in their glory. I stared up at them, hidden behind a ceramic, cold mask that hid my face from anyone who appeared. My hands were behind my back, and I stared out over the fallen city. My fallen city.

This world, the one I lived in now, had been hit hard with nuclear warfare so many years back. The people who once inhabited this place ripped everything apart with weapons of mass destruction, and any place large enough to sustain people was destroyed. Economies fell apart, governments lost control, and death spread across the land like a plague. What had once been enormous cities changed into barren wasteland of broken concrete structures and shattered glass. Little places remained intact and suitable for human sustenance, and anyone who was still alive fled to the rural areas to find shelter, and any form of survival was taken up.

The large city I watched over now, with many buildings broken and crumbling but still standing, was once Chicago. Or so my mother told me so many years ago. She spoke of other large cities that had also been standing, and groups of people took them over. She called them gangs, and told me that's what I was a part of now. I had inherited this gang, this group of people, my family. We weren't the only ones who called this city our place of residence, and I worked hard to keep the peace between us all.

"Cry," a voice jolted me from my memories of my mother and the past when I was younger and living in better days. I turned, finding a pair of scouts that I had sent a little over an hour ago. The one who was speaking stood with his hands behind his back, awaiting my response. I gave him a nod, and he cleared his throat. "From what we can see, there are no signs of movement or violence from anyone around us. It seems as though the tension levels have dropped and everyone accepts the peace offering you've brought around."

"Good." I said, staring back down off the skyscraper I stood on. "I was hoping that everyone would see sense. I know that territories are a big deal, and we're all thriving as the weather warms. Hopefully this will continue for quite some time."

"Sir, if I may," the second man stepped forward, bowing his head a bit and I waved his gestures off.

"That's unnecessary. We work as one, feel free to voice whatever you have to say."

"Sir, how did you figure that the others would be pleased with moving the Grouping Borders out?" he asked, and I thought about it. The Grouping Building was a large, one story building where all the gangs gathered under a peaceful truce to discuss things. We brought a few troops with us, but otherwise it was the leaders' discussion time. There was a neutral territory set around it, and when borders became an issue I had offered its expanse, and the others seemed to agree.

"It was a wild guess. I had hoped that it would seem like everyone was getting the same amount of territory, and the neutral territory would be bigger in case anyone needed a safe place to be." I explained, staring down at the ground once more before turning to the pair.

"In all respect, sir. I feel things have maybe been too quiet after this decision," the first man said again, and I thought about this for a moment. I nodded a couple times, considering my options.

"Set up an extra perimeter for tomorrow, another scout run if you will. Keep an extra weapon on you, and be prepared for anything," the pair nodded in agreement, and I smiled, the only part of my expression they could see out of my mask. "You both have done well, go get some rest." They nodded, knowing they were dismissed, and turned away, running down the stairwell and towards the elevator, one of the only working elevators in the city. I turned one last time towards the night sky, thinking about my mother once more before ducking inside myself. I needed to sleep if I expected to get anything done tomorrow.

....

The sun was just rising behind me, coming over the horizon as my feet trudged over the rough terrain. I could feel the ache in my limbs and my head. I had been traveling for days, I had to be close. I knew that I was. I could smell the smog that was a city, I found remnants of concrete structures a few miles back from my journey, and I knew that whatever was over this hill that I was what I was looking for.

He had told me of this place, described it in perfect detail and how the groups of people who occupied it lived. He spoke about their gang-like fashion, their ability to fall apart or prosper, and how they had fallen into place of about six groups of people living together, and how they weren't exactly united but they were living together. He told me that someone had to save them, that their end was near and that some of the people there were decent humans who didn't deserve to die. Then everyone else that traveled and now lived in our make shift village of huts and shacks in the forest we took over slowly volunteered me to go.

Several days later, I finally reached the top of the ridge, looking into a city that was dilapidating, falling apart. All of the buildings had visible damage, and it was a surprise that most of them were still standing. I panted, looking around as the sun illuminated everything.

I had finally arrived.