The Elementals : The Dawn of Darkness

Chapter 14 - The Ghost Town of Greencoast

Greencoast. A small town sat perched at the edge of a rocky outcrop, centimetres from falling into the iron grey sea hundreds of feet below it. Green fields swept outwards from the town's stone walls giving it its name and a truly breath-taking appearance. According to Sheira the place was a thriving elemental port where hundreds of ships docked every day, with goods from all over Europe being exchanged in this small town. It held the title of England's primary elemental port where the town constantly bustled with life, voices rang out overhead desperately pedalling their wares to tourists, townsfolk and sailors alike, and the scent of smoke, fish and salt hung in the air like a thick fog that you could taste. It was a perfect example of the success of the elemental world.

It was also completely dead.

Sheira had been telling me about this wonderful town the entire walk here and to be completely honest, I was looking forward to it. I missed the bustle of a busy city, so this was going to be a nice substitute (Emphasis on the word "Was"). However, the moment we set foot in the cobbled streets even a blind man could tell that something wasn't right.

"Where is everyone?" was the first thing Sheira said as all three of us took in the dilapidated buildings, broken and empty stalls and the boarded shut windows. A tumbleweed could have rolled by and no one would have thought it odd, as this place was like it had been dropped into an old Spaghetti Western. This place was supposed to have a population of a few thousand and yet I couldn't have seen more than fifty people tops lurking around the barren market square. And as for the docks? Not even a dingy was moored never mind a full-sized tanker that were the usual visitors.

Sheira and Shadow looked completely baffled as we looped the streets trying to find anyone that could give us a hand but those that we could see were either unable to help or ran in the other direction as fast as they could. Even now as we sat on the dry fountain that marked the centre of town it was impossible to get the image of a ghostly figures walking the empty streets and filling this place with life.

"They've all done a runner." Shadow walked up to join the two of us, three Styrofoam cups of coffee in his hands that a street vendor had been all too happy to sell him her wares. He sat down next to Sheira, took a sip of his drink and grimaced slightly. "The ships stopped arriving in March and everything's shrivelled up since then. Most left in May and the rest are all preparing to pack up and abandon this place."

"Why though? What stopped the ships from coming?" Sheira asked.

"Molly got them scared. The captains are afraid that some of her spy's or weapons could be taken onboard and her influence would spread across the rest of Europe."

"That's stupid though," I said plainly, "all they have to do is get on the ferry to France and they're home free."

"They don't want to risk it."

"So, the UK is under quarantine?" Sheira said miserably.

"Looks like it. But it also means that weren't not going to find much here, well no help anyways, we'll stock up as best we can. There's another town further inland, Farscar, that's our best bet now."

"Well bugger," I muttered bitterly. Yet another detour, perfect.

"That's the spirit," said Shadow in a voice that could have been cheerful or grumpy. "Lets all meet back here in an hour with supplies and then we get the hell out of dodge. Agreed?"

Sheira and I both nodded which resulted in all three of us splitting off into the different parts of town looking for a small list that Sheira had compiled with Shadow's tidy handwriting underneath saying, "If it's useful, take it." After a brief discussion it was decided that Shadow was going to dig up as many elemental resources as possible, Sheira was to go scrounging for food and I was to look for anything that could prove helpful, A.K.A anything you would find on a boy scout equipment list.