Renée

Chapter 15

I look around the buildings, trying to understand how my luck could be so terrible recently.

I was pulled away in a crowd of panicked residents, separating me from Nigel and Maryanne, wait—Gwen. By the time I got away from the stampeding citizens, I was in an area of the city that didn't seem familiar, though none of the city looks familiar, anyway. The buildings look a lot older and are dirty on the outside compared to the ones near the Central Plaza, and the road is covered in debris. It's livable, but not pretty.

I lean against a building and sigh. What the hell should I do next? It's probably in my best interest to stay here and wait for Nigel to come find me, but I don't know if it's safe for me to do. The residents are giving me looks of contempt, and I can tell I'm an unwanted guest in their neighbourhood. Still, it would be reckless for me to move, and Nigel may have a better chance at finding me if I stay in one place.

And along with all of this, there's Gwen. I'm almost a hundred percent sure it was her I was talking to. I need to get back to the plaza, so I can be sure.

The door of the building I'm leaning against swings open and slams against the bricks. A middle-aged woman steps out with a rolling pin in hand. She swings it through the air and screams. "Get away from my house, merchant shrew!"

I jump away from the wall. "I'm sorry!" I shout as I dash down the street. "Is she crazy?! Swinging a rolling pin through the air like that?!" I run and run with no idea about where the hell I am. Who knows if I'm getting closer or further away from the Central Plaza. Sure, this is stupid, but I'd rather not be attacked by a blunt object.

But it doesn't take long before my lungs are burning. I'm lightheaded, and I'm seeing spots in my vision. I stop in the middle of the road and bend over, gasping for air. "I'm... going... to have... to work on... my stamina...... and body strength..."

I could swim 400 metres in under eight minutes when I was a lifeguard. Now I'm in a body so weak I can't even run for more than a couple of minutes before feeling winded. God. What kind of life did Renée lead to be so weak?

I let out a long breath and look up, my eyes widening. The structures of buildings have changed again, and not in a good way. Glass shattered, doors missing, there are even holes in the roofs and walls, they're falling apart. The earthquake caused damage here, I can see it, but I can also tell the state of the area was bad beforehand. These buildings looked like this long before the earthquake hit.

And the people look no better. They're almost all skin and bones. Some have poorly bandaged wounds that are festering with infections. Some have broken bones, and limp or crawl, unable to even gather enough strength to walk. They all look lifeless, as if they've given up on it all.

I look around in horror at the state of the area and people. The Ashern province is considered one of the more prosperous provinces throughout the Kingdom of Carney, but that doesn't mean poverty doesn't exist.

I've walked straight into the city's slums, a district dedicated to the poor and unwanted.

I take a hesitant step forward, fully aware I shouldn't walk any further, yet I can't bring myself to stop. The little voice in the back of my mind tells me I have to keep going, that I need to walk through here. The residents stare at me, but don't say a single word. I don't even have to lock eyes with any of them to know what they're thinking. Jealousy. Resentment. Anger. Bloodlust. I shiver and pick up my pace.

But despite that, my eyes glance from side to side, taking everything in. I know I wanted to see the state of the province, but I never thought it would be this bad. It's to the point it's inhumane. People shouldn't be living like this.