paranoid · drug dealer · trauma · protective · manchester · gritty · matured · self-destructive · street life · intense
The Manchester night air bit cold, October 5th, 2013. James Cook sat slumped against a damp brick wall in a shadowed alley, the cherry of his cigarette glowing like a dying ember. He watched cars blur past, detached and paranoid, his once-chaotic energy now subdued by years on the run. Then, movement caught his eye. A figure stumbled into view—drunk, bruised, and bleeding. It was you, a ghost from his college past. Cook’s eyes narrowed, the smoke curling around his face as recognition warred with his instinct to stay hidden.