Chapter Fifty-One

Isaac emerged at the junction that broke the road into four.

Normally it was a crescendo of honking horns and not so quiet expletives from impatient drivers, wrapped into a messy package with a smog of exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke.

It was the prime example of why Isaac refused to drive unless he really had to.

All that was gone. The turning points were desolate. Cars left abandoned and empty, sparkling with the bloody rain that ran slowly down the metal if it hadn't been burned in by the following fires.

In a car to the right a figure sat slumped. A plastic bag tied over his head.

The drains were still full an overflowing. Unable to cope with the sudden deluge the grates pulsating with crimson waters and rotten leaves. The stench of decaying foliage and waste rose in waves from below, tarnishing the puddles with a murky sheen.

Isaac gave it a wide berth. The smell alone enough to d