The Seven Shadows of Babylon - Chapter Twelve: A World Divide

The sun was setting behind the jagged skyline of New Los Angeles, casting long shadows over the streets of the Lower City. In the fading light, the desperate and hungry huddled in alleys and against crumbling buildings, their faces gaunt and hollow from weeks of famine. The market was closed now, the merchants gone, but the smell of rotting food lingered in the air—a cruel reminder of what once had been.

Daniel Harper stood in the shadow of a burned-out warehouse, watching as NGF soldiers patrolled the streets. Their black uniforms gleamed in the fading sunlight, their weapons at the ready, as they moved with cold efficiency. They were here to enforce the Unifier’s latest mandate: reduce the number of beggars, reduce the burden on society.

The poor had become a problem. Too many mouths to feed, too little food.