Evolution

Evolution: Chapter 38

I don't like the city.

Everything about the damned place was loud. Too many human's all around me, all of them harboring their own scents. Even their scents had scents, it was all so much to handle at once.

Not to mention the noise. Different voices all merged together like a hive, buzzing around my head. I could hear women complaining about money, and men. Men complaining about jobs, and the law force.

Children crying for food, crying for parents.

I'd never heard so much sadness and bitterness in all my life.

Venom was behind the wheel, driving us through the busy city roads. Headphones over my ears were all I could do to help myself, picking through all the scents. This city sucked, it smelled like the sewage running beneath it up top.

Ripper sat in the back beside me, his arm resting along the window. Gaze cast outwards with a pensive expression, "It really has all gone to shit." He commented, drumming his fingers against the window, "I thought everyone was just being dramatic."

"It doesn't look so bad." I commented, thinking all the chaos outside was just normal. I saw the way Venom's brows rose in the side mirror, "It smells awful thought."

Everywhere I looked, there were people. They moved swiftly to get to their destination, barging past each other with shouts. My nose picked up the sicknesses instantly, like a rancid cloud over humanity.

There was even more of it here than in the human colony back at Genesis. So many different types too, buried under their skin, and rooted deep inside of them.

Ripper clicked his tongue against his teeth, "There used be an order within society; a balanced one." He went on to explain, and I twisted my head towards him, "Power and greed destroyed it. I think they still call it a democracy out of sentimentality."

Venom made a noise of agreement at the back of her throat, "We're going downtown." She informed me, and my eyes slid over the boarded-up stores lining the streets, "The bottom of the food line. We call it the Barrel Town, you know, like the bottom of the barrel?"

I recognized the saying but it didn't do much to lighten my mood. Especially when we got there, because it really was worse. More people were huddled around the streets, clinging to filthy blankets, and begging for food.

Even Ripper had to wrinkle his nose at the stench that penetrated the air, "Oh, yes. This is definitely where he's hiding." He muttered, shaking his head at dismay, "It's one way to keep people out of his business."

"We need to dump the car, or it will get stolen." Venom announced, turning in to one of the alleyways. I noticed the way her fingers tightened around the wheel, "We're going to walk from here."

All the alleyways were lined with odd makeshift tents. Made from foraged plastic sheets that were held up my half fences, or damp boxes. Amazed faces stared as we drove through the narrow space, only stopping when we reached the end.

I heard the way Venom's heart quickened when a ragged aged man stepped out. Dressed in an over-sized suit jacket, or what must have been one, and damp pants held up with a tie. His eyes narrowed as they took in the sleek vehicle.

"This is Picket territory!" The man barked, slapping a dirty hand against the window. An odor reeked from his entire body, "Nice wheels here, little lady. Come out real slow, and we can take them off your hands."

My eyes followed the bodies that slowly melted into view around the car. Staring at it like it was a freshly baked chicken, their eyes almost glittering. Most of their skins had a sickly pastiness about it, but they still managed to look somewhat menacing.