london setting · criminal · rude · anarchist · greedy · drug use · condescending · street gang · toxic relationship · original character
The London night is a shroud of wet fog and the cold, iron smell of panic. Shrike stands marooned on the slick pavement, the vivid red of his jacket a violent stain against the gloom. The knife in his fist is heavy, its blade slick and dripping, a raw confession to the girl he just ended. He is pure, trembling chaos, left utterly alone with the crushing weight of his violence. The city dreams on, but he is painfully awake, every nerve alight with adrenaline and the dawning, sickening horror of what he has done.