"Welcome to Vrath 9406," rang the speakers at the exit station as the doors swung open.
"Yo, you listening to me?" spoke my companion, fingers waving in front of my face, screeching for attention.
"Aagh." I shoved her hand away, my senses fixed on other points of interest.
A little something about me: I love crowded spaces. And I prefer not being disturbed when in such spaces.
"Vrath 9406—or just Vrath. The number represents the number of times the city was rebuilt. It is symbolic of the human will to struggle and survive. It is a statement to the forces of chaos that aim to break the spirit of humanity. This city is a testament to the indomitable human spirit—" the speakers continued, every screen across the station playing the same clip for all new passengers to see as they exited.
"I'm talking to you… it's important!" her voice called, drowned out by the roar of the station crowd. People entered and exited the train in endless droves, the only audible constant being the little history lesson playing on loop.
"Here we are—the city of broken dreams," I muttered just loud enough for my overly cheerful companion, who possessed annoyingly sharp hearing. We flowed with the crowd like leaves atop a river.
"—Today, the city of Vrath stands at its strongest yet. Having resisted destruction from the forces of chaos for one hundred and fifty years, it has established itself as the safest city in all of Extract. It now serves as the central hub of major corporations and educational institutions—"
Though the expressions thrown my way were far from pleasant, I loved what I loved—and I loved it unapologetically. No matter the sacrifice, no matter the consequence. YES! I. LOVE. CROWDS.
"Yes, correct—emphasis on broken!" she yelled, struggling to keep up with me, slipping amid the dense flow of bodies—more accurately, a thick, convulsing mass of flesh and bone squirming in every direction.
"Woman, I chase no lofty, unachievable dream!" I yelled, moving slowly toward the elevators.
I aspire to the more petite pleasures of life—or rather, the larger pleasures. The larger, the better, yes!
"I, Deon Von Deluge, have a dream!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Announce it to the world! I've done it—I'm in Vrath! Let's gooooo! I shall be the most powerful man alive, and I shall have all the biggest, baddest booties of all!" I yelled as the escalator carried me downward.
"Behave," she said coldly, her tone dripping with murderous intent.
"Train No. VOC085 has arrived on the third platform," an announcement echoed overhead.
Waves of humans collided with one another, streams attempting to cut across each other's flow. Nowhere in all of Extract were crowds as cruel as here. It wasn't unusual for one or two people to die in these high-populous areas each day.
"Well, that's convenient," I muttered, rejoicing as the human tide seemed to tear my companion away, leaving me to my own devices.
Another thing to know about me: my passions usually take me places—places I would not be particularly proud of. For example, right now. I don't know where I am. A hallway, the crowd thinning. A darker section of the station. Exit D4, said the sign on the wall. But… which exit was I supposed to take again?
Worse yet, my passions seldom lead to situations I would not be proud of. I couldn't go back the way I came—I'd already punched my ticket. Worse still, I couldn't contact Lexany. It seemed there had been a thief in the crowd.
So here I am, alone and stranded in a foreign city. But I, Deon, am far from one to regret chasing my dreams. For ahead of me, I already see another goal. As I stand, head bowed, hands braced against the wall beneath the flickering ceiling lights of the dim hallway, wallowing in quiet frustration—beneath my feet lies a flyer.
A flyer with a truly marvelous advertisement.
An ad for a brothel.
And just like that, I knew exactly which direction to take.