Alexander Ackrom quickly orients himself northward and starts walking down the street. His destination: Tetanus Town.
Tetanus Town is an unfinished city block in the far north of Rifield. Its actual name is something so plain and boring that only government officials actually remember it. So, everyone jokingly calls it Tetanus Town instead. This is because, after its construction was abandoned, the unfinished building frames started rusting over. This gives the sense that just being there could give you tetanus.
While most people steer clear of it, those with no place to go consider it a safe haven. During the winter especially, the homeless will often lodge in the abandoned buildings. So, there's a small community where the plentiful homeless of Rifield trade and socialize.
As Alex walks along the cracked sidewalks, the chilly night air blows through his scruffy, salt and pepper hair. It seems to pass through him as if it's a ghost and chills him to the core. He shivers slightly in his raincoat. It's July! Why's there a cold front?!
As he grumbles inwardly, Alex raises the hood of his raincoat and pulls it tightly around himself. Then he starts to walk faster.
His speedwalking continues for several minutes, his teeth chattering along the way, until he's stopped by a noisy tinkling and jingling. The sound comes from the other sidewalk across the street and it's just loud enough to catch Alex's attention.
He turns his head slightly, and the source of the sound enters his field of view.
At the entrance of an alleyway, an elderly man sits on a tattered blanket. His eyes are covered by very dark sunglasses. In front of him is a cane, a tin can filled with assorted change, and a piece of cardboard with some words uglily scrawled onto it with a marker.
"HELP AN OLD BLIND MAN PAY FOR FOOD"
For a few moments, Alex debates stealing the tin can. But when he looks closer, he can barely see the handle of a pistol sticking out of the man's pocket. Then he puts the pieces together: Sunglasses, cane, the sign, sly old man. Instead, he keeps walking.
As he makes his way north, Alex's surroundings become more desolate and decrepit. This isn't because there's a lack of people; in fact, there are more people here than there were in the area before. They just aren't outside because it's dangerous to be outside at night in Rifield, unless you're in the far south.
This is because of how the city itself is structured.
Rifield was originally a farming town founded on the north bank of the Platte River in the 1800s. However, more and more people settled there until it became a city in the 1900s.
The city itself has only expanded northward. The reason it hasn't crossed the Platte River is because there's a government establishment there. Of course, the LT Corporation has been lobbying the government to sell the land, but it hasn't gotten anywhere yet.
Due to this roadblock, Rifield's most prosperous area is at the southern end of the city, and its poorest area is in the north. So, the further north you walk, the more dangerous it is to be out at night. Obviously, there would be more crime and gang violence in the poorer parts of the city.
Alex, who has just left the middle region of Rifield, grips the hilt of his knife and changes his posture to walk confidently. Stealing is an accepted practice in the northern region; no one will help him if he's mugged.
He keeps walking in confident strides for around ten minutes. The houses around him have their lights on, but no one except some of the homeless are on the streets. Every now and then, a car will drive by, but Alex doesn't pay much attention. He's more focused on the people around him. Sometimes, he'll change direction if he sees a suspicious-looking group, or he'll hide in an alley if he sees a suspected mugger.
Eventually, he hears a faint barking in the distance. A dog? Upon hearing this, he quickens his pace and rounds a corner that the barking is coming from.
Tens of feet away, a large, unwashed dog is barking into an alley. Its body is tense and its tail is raised high and stiff. The fur along its back stands on end, and it skittishly paces back and forth. The barks it sounds out are not the playful kind, but rather seem very fearful.
Alex stands there for a moment, only staring at the dog. Not many things can scare a stray in Rifield; they've seen a lot. So Alex is skeptical about what to do. But he quickly makes his decision and runs towards the skittish dog.
Alex's reasoning is a bit illogical, even to him. He's actually rather fond of dogs. He used to have one when he still lived with his parents, and he really liked it. Not to mention, dogs are loyal and won't hesitate to defend their families, so he wants to help this one. Plus, it's still a dog; it might just be barking at something it's never seen before.
Once Alex gets within a few feet of the dog, he slows down and tries to make himself look as non-threatening as possible. He raises his hands, palms out; lowers his stance; and softens his expression.
"Hey there, buddy," he speaks in a soft tone, and as he does, he stretches his palm out under the dog's snout. "What's got you so riled up?"
The large dog pauses its barking for a few seconds and eyes Alex suspiciously. But then, it sniffs his palm a little, and some of the tension in its body relaxes. However, the entire time it keeps part of its gaze on the alley.
Seeing that the dog is relatively friendly, Alex places his hand on its back and softly strokes it. Then he follows its gaze and look into the alleyway.
The alleyway is small and cramped. It's illuminated by a bright orange light; several piles of trash bags and garbage cans line the sides, and several dirty puddles glisten orange from the light. It looks like the typical alleyway Alex has seen before, except for one thing. In the middle of the alley is a large, flaming pile of cardboard boxes and trash!
The flames burn brightly, almost as tall as Alex. Ashes and smoke drift up from the fire and are sent flying into the sky as the embers at the bottom glow like massive sparks. The fire itself is large, but it isn't spreading. If Alex had to, he could walk around it, but he would feel a sting from the heat.
A bonfire? The dog was barking at a bonfire? Sure, it's big, but the homeless set bonfires all the time. The dog should be used to it! What's going on?
As Alex exits his thoughts, he looks down at the dog, only to notice that it has started quietly growling at the fire. He lets out a small sigh and says to it, "Alright, I'll check it out."
He lifts his hand from the dog and places it on the hilt of his knife, ready to draw at a moment's notice. Then, he takes a few steps towards the alleyway and glances back at the dog. It's not following; it must be really freaked out. Alex continues walking and makes it into the alley in a few more steps. Then, he starts walking towards the bonfire.
As he walks, he can feel the heat intensify. It starts as a warm sensation on his skin, but as he gets closer, it transitions into a stinging heat. However, he keeps moving forward until he's only a few feet away from the raging flames.
He looks closely at the inferno, trying to find anything strange about the flames or what they use as fuel. He's able to see a few charred blobs within the flames, but they're too burnt and obscured to make out.
He looks around a bit more, and still doesn't find anything. But then he looks down, between his feet and the flames, and his breath hitches.
There are rats, charred rats, littered around the bonfire. They're the same color as the pavement, so Alex hadn't noticed them before! Some of them are singed, some are burnt, and some are so charred they look more like coal than carcasses. They're all strewn about the fire, and who knows how many are still inside it!
Wha-what the hell! Alex stumbles a few steps back. What's going on! His mind races as he tries and fails to come up with a reasonable cause for this scene. Did they all run into the fire? No, rats aren't that stupid! Were they in the boxes that were burnt? That can't be; they would've run out! What happened?!
With his mind still in overdrive, Alex rushes out of the alley and returns to where the dog was. It's already run away after seeing Alex's reaction.
Finally, his brain comes up with the best reason he can think of: It must've been some psychopath setting animals on fire! Yeah, that's it! They must've caught a bunch of rats and tossed them into the fire for their own sick amusement!
With his theory finally formed, Alex is able to act a bit more rationally. He stands up straight, takes one last glance at the fire, and starts walking to Tetanus Town again.
He wants to avoid the psychopath at all costs.