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One Foggy Night (6) - As the seasons shift, the temperature changes too. It’s not uncommon for fog to roll in, sometimes from the mountains, sometimes out of nowhere. This fog is particularly thick and difficult to see through; Destiny City has issued several weather warnings and cautions for being out or driving at night. It’s easy to get lost and difficult to see obstacles. Not to mention the strange, smothering sensation of dread and fear that rolls in with the fog. While there is sometimes the sensation of being watched, it worsens when the sun goes down. Some have even said they’ve caught glimpses of a tall, horned figure traveling with the fog. The news has reported that this is probably just a side effect of climate change and suspects that weather patterns should return to normal towards the end of the month.
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Nate was used to the fog. London was known for it, most of the UK was well familiar with the weather. So when the warnings and cautions were issued he didn’t pay it any mind. He knew how to navigate in the dense ground cloud even if these city dwellers couldn’t. He was able to shake off the lingering sense of general dread when he went into work, forgetting all about the tingle of being watched that had lurked in the back of his mind as he cheerfully interacted with his coworkers. He shared anecdotes about his time in school and the pranks they would pull on foggy days like this. Laughter and general chatter filled the office. It was friday, no one was willing to put in a lot of effort for a friday, let alone a gray and drab friday.
Before anyone really realized it, or at least admitted out loud, it was the end of the work day. Twilight had crept in, darkening the already dark streets, and the oppressive feel of the all encompassing fog was even worse. Nate was not overly concerned, at least not as a civilian, but he was wondering just how delayed his trip over to Dessie’s was going to be because of the fog. He would typically take a cab or a Uber, but now he was wondering if it would just be faster to walk. Traffic was likely to be a real gridlock, more so since it was still within rush hour… more like rush hours since it seemed to last for three to four hours on any given day. Today, it was probably going to be worse.
With that in mind, and now more than aware of the more esoteric dangers of the city, Nate shouldered his bag and started off walking. He followed the main thoroughfares, pleased to note that his guess that walking was smarter did seem to pan out, and generally kept an eye out on his surroundings. The feeling of being watched intensified as it got dimmer and dimmer out but he wasn’t able to spot anyone obviously watching him. He even checked the rooftops and other spots he had learned were good vantage points. There was nothing there.
The blare of a car horn had him jump slightly, his head whipping around to note a cabby gesticulating at some car in front of them… just barely. The fog was so heavy it was hard to see the car that was easily within just a few arm's length. If the cab wasn’t bright yellow he might not have seen it at all, the pale gray car that was the recipient of the horn was next to impossible to see except for the taillights, which glowed red in the gray darkness. Nate could feel his heart racing, even as a chill crawled down his back. It was eerie. He felt like he was being watched but nothing was there, he would have sworn that there was something in the fog even though he knew there wasn’t… something was amiss but he didn’t have any idea what. Or what he could do about it. Maybe walking wasn’t such a good idea.
With the irrational feelings of dread and fear slowly building in him, Nate stepped up to a redlight and slapped at the crosswalk button. His green eyes squinting, trying to make out the shapes around him. The little stick figure man turned green but at the same time Nate could have sworn he saw a glimpse of a tall, horned figure on the other side of the road.
Nope! Nope nope nope nope!
Nate instantly turned on his heel, walked a few steps back down the sidewalk and instantly called out for a cab. There was no way in hell he would even think about crossing the street. Not even if that was just a trick of lighting and his imagination. Nope!
No way!
It might take longer but the cab was safer!
