Edgerunners2077

David: 24

District: The Glen, Heywood

I leave with nothing but memories and keepsakes as I floor the gas pedal with no direction. I just need to get away from this place as soon as possible. I could still see Lucy's tearstained face burning its way permanently inside my eyelids. 

Facing Lucy after a night with V felt like running into enemy territory with no bulletproof vest. Shots were fired by both of us yet I'm the one who's retreating. Why do I feel the guiltiest when we are both to blame for how this turned out? And why do I all the sudden feel sick to my stomach?

It's done. We're over. 

Why do those words cut deep like a sharp knife dragging its way across my skin. I don't regret it. I can't regret it. I wouldn't know what to do if I did. My skin is crawling from the anxiety bubbling beneath the surface. For the past year I've built my life around reviving Maine's legacy with Lucy by my side. Well, on my side but not on the field where I arguably needed her the most. I dealt with decisions and tough choices I shouldn't have had to make alone. Moments where I needed someone, anyone, to be the voice of reason. But Lucy had other plans, plans that didn't involve me. Who knows how different today would have gone if it weren't for the two of us growing apart and withholding secrets. 

I never did get the gonk's name she'd been seeing all this time. She owes me at least that much. 

I make a sharp turn at the intersection of Ventura and Skyline, the wide busy street littered with people, locals and posers alike. Highways merge into city streets, city streets merge into highways. The area was pure chaos if you didn't know your way about Heywood traffic. The stereo is blaring loud Latin hip-hop through the speakers, my windows are down, and a soft summer's breeze whips its way into the interior. 

South Heywood was such a deep contrast compared to the North. The South spoke of culture, flavor and in most cases, poverty. It was filled with local shops, rundown buildings, restaurants and bars on every corner. The Slums. The stereotypical 'One Wrong Turn Could Be Your Last' phrase fits to a T. This was the place where knowing the right people could really save your skin, and knowing the wrong ones could have your face on a t-shirt. 

Whereas in North Heywood there was wealth. The area was overall cleaner, sleek and modern full of pristine skyscrapers and flashy billboards. The closer you got to City Center, the more bougee the establishments were. Mostly Corpos occupy the north, and average poorer folk were lucky to find a place in the south. To say the corporations are sucking out the soul of Heywood was an understatement. The locals were doing everything in their power to keep the Latin spirit alive, while the city tries to erase its inhabitants with the structure of more governmental establishments. The Glen, being a subdistrict of Night City that is government owned, it's the home of Town Hall, The Mayor's Office, The Courthouse, and one of the largest NCPD stations in the city. 

All those big pretty buildings surrounded by the eroding slums. The poor get a front row seat to the rich's success. No wonder why gang activity is at an all-time high, the people of Night City are constantly living in the Corpo's shadow. 

I must have gone into a daze, because the ignited taillights of the car in front of me signals its abrupt stop. I curse, as I slam on my breaks at yet another halt in traffic, just barely kissing the front end of my car into their back bumper. 

It was mid-day Friday, and the lunch rush was plugging up the streets with endless cars, loud honks and pistols threateningly waving out the windows. Typical Heywood behavior. Some of those punks were Valentinos, some were 6th Street. The two gangs were at constant war over territory and Vista Del Ray, another Heywood subdistrict, is their current battle ground. As if 6th Street didn't have enough land as is.