[center][url=https://fontmeme.com/dont-doubt-the-god-font/][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190129/13171e9f1b5621b76cc02e155ec05c35.png[/img][/url] [hr][/center] As the sun began to set on the streets of Baltham, a wider spectrum of lights began to make themselves apparent, bouncing off the glass-sided buildings and puddles leftover from the rain the day before. Headlights, taillights, neon-laden ads, all of them come together to create a loud mishmash of colors, all imbued with a hint of deep pinkish-orange from the dying sun. The air was finally beginning to dry out, and the buzz of bustling evening traffic filled the air, as everyone rushed to get home. There was a sense of mild panic amongst it all, as more and more people began to grow wary of the random attacks that had been happening around the city. Sitting out on a sidewalk in front of a stripmall in smaller, more isolated street, Gideon was straddling his bike, surfing his phone, sifting through the various headlines and news articles. Amongst the normal headlines and stock market tidbits, there was a string of local headlines detailing the sudden rash attacks dotted around the city. The random acts of violence around Baltham certainly made him feel a little more trepidation than he usually did, but it didn’t seem to be having too much of an effect on plenty of people. There was still plenty of foot traffic flowing out of the Subway in front of him, and the booming and bustling clubs of the nightlife part of the city were still drawing plenty of attention and party-goers. Downing another mouthful of water, Gideon lifted his t-shirt to wipe the beads of sweat slowly trailing down his forehead towards his eyes. His skin felt warm and tired, and the slight breeze helped thwart the humidity that was slowly dissapaiting. He’d finally finished his route of packages, and was getting ready to make the ride home, which was unfortunately at least a 45 minute ride away, given traffic wasn’t too heavy. Usually, even if he tried to make the last package closest to his house, they were still usually an annoying distance away from his home, but this was the farthest he’d ended his route from home in a while. Gideon scanned the various headlines a few times more, before locking his phone, putting it and his bottle away. Adjusting his substantially lighter backpack, and giving his legs a quick stretch, he finally started moving again, slowly rolling onto the street when traffic got thin. He had a deecent ride ahead of him, and he’d like to get home sooner rather than later. [center][b][u]---[/u][/b][/center] As his Gideon zipped and glided through out the city, he had passed at least 4 groups of cop cars, blaring their sirens and flashing their lights. More than before, it seemed that all the streets Gideon rode through or past were either completely free of activity, or full of people rushing back to their homes, all of them carrying looks of worry or nervousness on their faces. Of course, the city wasn’t in a full blown panic, looting stores or burning buildings or anything of that sort, but there was certainly a creeping discomfort seeping through the streets. Stationary groups of people kept their heads on a swivel, suspicious eyes darting back and forth. Dark, abandoned alleyways carried an even more foreboding aura than before, as everyone treated the others on the streets as possible assailants. Feeling the wind stream across his face and skin, Gideon was gliding along in relative comfort, but he still didn’t waste time trying to get across the city. Even for night time, the traffic was heavy, and he had trouble making it through a few intersections without getting stuck at multiple lights, even riding a bike. Despite the lonely desolation of some streets, the ones lined with bars and clubs were still very much alive, but just more, stifled, perhaps. People stuck to their groups more than they would move around freely, and many found a bar to run into and elected to stay inside rather than out in the open. Cutting through the streets that had been blocked from vehicle traffic helped cut a few minutes off his route, and it was made even easier that he had less pedestrians to dodge around. The Police were out in even more force, though. Along with the usual police that patrolled the party streets, there were plenty of pairs of them dotted around various street corners and intersections. They usually just gave Gideon a passing glance, and the few he waved to simply ignored him, choosing to continue their scan of the streets around them. The city’s mood seemed to stiffen and become more stern, as the sidewalks emptied, and peering sets of eyes set to watching the streets from above, through the windows in their apartments, high above the ground. [center][b][u]---[/u][/b][/center] The halls of Gideon’s apartment building seemed scarce of people, and those few that remained outside their rooms were huddled in whispered conversation, and didn’t display their usual warmth or welcoming to him. Locking his bike at the entrance hall, Gideon made his way to the staircase, trotting past a pair of people who were leaned against the front desk, looking rather comfortable, despite the widespread trepidation. [color=coral]”You two seem pretty comfortable, considering everyone else seems to be scared shitless.”[/color] [color=DarkKhaki]”Yeeaahh, I dunno. This place is usually pretty quiet, but it’s even the quiet parts of town that been having those little spats today.”[/color] [color=coral]”Right? I dunno, you should see the streets right now. Cops all over the place, and parts of the city are fuckin’ dead.”[/color] [color=DarkKhaki]”Oh yeah? Crazy shit, dude, crazy shit.”[/color] Gideon chuckled, and gave a bit of a wave to end the conversation, which the pair of men returned, and resumed their own conversation. Gideon began his ascent up the stairs, and before he knew it, was unlocking his door, tossing his backpack and bike gear aside, slowly sliding down his couch and taking a deep breath. He was exhausted, as usual, but glad to be home. After a few moments of laying on the couch with his eyes closed, he finally found the will to get back up to make the short trip to his kitchen. After pouring himself a bowl of cereal, he went to searching the living room for his remote, before turning the television to the news, and opening his blinds to see the street below his apartment. As the reporter droned on about the attacks, Gideon munched away, watching as a few people dotted the sidewalks, briskly making their way to where they needed to be, leaving the street bare of any life after a short time. [color=coral][i]Time to enjoy the evening, I suppose.[/i][/color]