I knew I was close when the rain began to turn a dull orange color, tinting my windshield with its filth. I let up on the accelerator, and cracked the window, allowing the stench of the King City to filter through the Buick. Within seconds, the putrid smells of rotting food, human waste, and gutter scum had introduced one another and were all shooting the shit in my backseat.

A flickering streetlight to my left illuminated a dingy alleyway. I caught sight of some whore and his john, carrying on a non-verbal conversation against the crumbling brick wall, the woman’s silver heels sparkling sporadically against the flickering light.

I made a right on Boil Street, heading east through the city. Steam billowed out from under storm drains, along with an arm or two, blindly reaching for food scraps or useful garbage that could be bartered or sold on the streets.

A familiar smell wafted through the car and I slammed on the breaks, putting the car in park. A cigarette hung from my lower lip, the filter stuck to the moisture. My lighter flew open with a click, and the flame attacked. The door creaked obnoxiously, my leather boot striking a puddle with force, the metal tip clanging against the crumbling asphalt.

I inhaled deeply, two fingers to my lips, the sound of gravel crunching beneath my boots as I paced about the car, breathing in the smells, my eyes everywhere.

A thin mist had formed, replacing the thick curtain of rain. The sidewalks were flooded with filth and debris, as giant rats squealed and scurried along the gutters, most likely sensing my presence. Lucky for them I have no appetite for rodents; much too salty.

The Buick purrs quietly against the dead of night, a glass bottle rolling about in the distance.

I know they are here. I can smell them. Amidst the vile, dirty, decaying walls of the city, I can always smell them…the Mud Crawlers.

A shadow against the wall to my left signals their presence. I suck in a final intake from my only vice, and flick the end of it into the darkness. My eyes follow the faint orange glow of the flame as it flips and spins through the air in slow motion.