The Great Awakening

Chapter 1

Hello everyone! Thank you for clicking on this story! It may have some errors, or some phrases might be worded strangely, but if it is, let me know. Each chapter is revised a couple of times for the best quality. Be sure to leave a review and I will be posting more!

-Tom Larson

            It was a dark and gloomy day outside in Angel City as Melissa, a brunette wearing a ragged shirt and shorts, ran down from a public transit vehicle to a nearby school. As she stepped out of the vehicle with so many others, she stared at the dingy walls, covered with dirt, graffiti, and a dark stain in which she didn’t even want to think about where it came from. She decided to take the shortcut through a nearby alley, for she was already running late, the fifth time it was that week.

            The ally was littered with garbage and waste, making Melissa's stomach churn with each passing second she had to endure it. Even though she was familiar with the scent, having been exposed to it for the first part of her life, she could never fully get accustomed to it.

            The graffiti on the walls were mostly just words spelled onto the building. Any form of art is highly discouraged and frowned upon. If a person were to be caught spray painting art onto the side of the building, not only will they be charged with vandalism, but their crime will be announced publically, causing the vandal great shame, so much so that their reputation would be tarnished for the rest of their life.

            Melissa observed the passing graffiti as she ran through the alley, noticing that some of its contents had been painted over in white, while others weren’t. Maybe perhaps it was art buried underneath… either that or an unwanted message.

            She had finally reached the opposite end of the alley, now standing at the side of a high school, the place where she would meet her son. He looked around for him, then finally breathing a sigh, thankful that he wasn’t there yet. She walked around the general vicinity for a bit, looking at some advertisements before walking over to a newspaper stand and picking one up to read as she waited.

            Above the newspaper stand was a map of Angel City. It was a large city, large enough to house a population of over 3 million people, with over fifteen percent of the population homeless. The entire city was housed within a circular wall, roughly around the height of fifty meters. Not much is known outside the wall, for not many people venture outside. The only thing that is known is that there are others outside the walls, which was a relief for some because after staying within the walls for so long, it felt like the citizens of Angel City were the last citizens on the planet.

            Within the circle of Angel City, were two other circles, and these circles were separated by an invisible boundary. On the far right of Angel City, was Lowsector. This is the largest portion of Angel City and is also home to the poor and homeless, because to live in the higher sectors, one would need identification and proof of employment. This is also the least policed area of Angel City as well. Thus, the crime rate in Lowsector is the highest of all three sectors, and most reported cases go unsolved, either due to keen planning or a lack of interest by the law. Many people thought it was the latter.

            Further east of the city was Midsector, with its shopping centers and somewhat affordable housing. Though most had a right to their own home (provided by the government), a person who made more could afford to live in a nicer, secure location. The more money a person makes, the more safety they could buy.

            And even further east was the third sector, known simply as the Plum Sector. Named after a fruit that was a rarity to find within Angel City, the Plum Sector housed some of the wealthiest, most powerful persons in all of Angel City. Everything is heavily guarded in the Plum Sector; families had armed guards with advanced weaponry and reflective armor. It was indeed a luxurious place to be; the houses were bright, clean and large, and the vehicles wore the aesthetics of the future. The further east a person walks, the fancier the neighborhoods, the better the technology, and the better the protection.