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Dark Times - Chapter Three

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Chapter Three – A Drug a Day

Jack knew he wasn’t going to work at Arran’s warehouse on Tuesday. He was going to the funeral of his friend. His sighed as he looked at Patch, pushing his glasses up his nose slowly as he went back to studying his face in the mirror. Not a fleck of coal dust nor speck of grit had come to rest upon it. Strange for smoggy London but that was fine by him.

“I’ll be back soon, Patch. Don’t…don’t do anything…” The automaton craftsman told the non-functional machine. No coal in him. He didn’t have time to fetch any out of the coal shed out back to fuel him that morning.

With a final pat of the automatons’ head Jack padded outside and looked around in the slightly cool morning. He pulled his jacket around his shoulders carefully before going to the stables. No. He shook his head. He couldn’t take Davidos.

Tugging his collar up around his neck to protect himself from the wind, Jack started out into the dank city, not looking up at anyone. So many people on the streets. It was unfair. Why did he get a nice job and a fairly decent house and these people didn’t? However, he knew he could do nothing about it. It was life. City life wasn’t fair.

When he reached the church, a slight frown graced his lips. No one was here yet. Not even Arran and he should have been there first. Wait. There he was.

Sitting on a bench, dressed completely in black, was Arran, head hung and hair flopped across his face. He looked a mess. Maybe it was from the lack of the red coat or the general scruffy appearance, he couldn’t tell, but he certainly didn’t look his best.

“Hey Ar…where’s everyone else?” Jack asked as he sat beside his friend carefully.

There was only a slight movement but Jack saw bloodshot blue eyes looking up at him carefully.

“There is no one else…we are it…” A hoarse voice crackled from the man’s throat. “No one else would come.”

Jack’s face fell. No one…would come? Why?

“How…why would no one come?”

“Myles has no family in London anymore and no one wants to come down to his funeral. His other friends were all killed in the explosion too…”

Someone’s footsteps echoed through the churchyard across the gravel and Jack looked up to see the priest standing by them. He swallowed and looked back to Arran.

“Come on Ar. We gotta do this. For Myles…”

~ ~ ~

Jack sighed as he led Arran out of the church, both of them crying softly. It had been far too quiet for them. Myles had always been full of life and vigor and to have a quiet funeral was just not right for him. They headed down to Arran’s warehouse and sat on two crates of supplies Arran had been saving for their next voyage. That wasn’t going to happen now.

“Come on Arran. What would Myles have wanted you to do in a situation like this, hm? He wouldn’t have wanted you to mope around and do nothing, would he?” Jack eventually sighed to his friend, watching him carefully as he removed his top hat and placed it on the crate beside him. “You can’t keep this up. You look dreadful!”

Arran scowled gently.

“Thanks, Jack. I appreciate that…” He spat, half cross but he was still tired from crying so it was really nothing more than a whisper.

Jack chuckled softly as he leant back against the crates carefully.

“Arran…why don’t we go for a ride, huh? We could do it…bet we could.”

Arran looked up slowly and blinked. His eyes scanned his face and, having decided that he wasn’t making fun of him, sighed.

“We need a crew. I got rid of my last one when I heard about Myles…can’t fly without a crew…”

“No we don’t! We both know enough about flying to be able to pull it off! Come on!” Jack grinned before standing up and heading to the ship, Arran just missing the tail of his coat as he ran past him.

Clambering up the ladder quickly, Jack pulled himself onto the deck and scanned the ropes. This wasn't too complicated. He looked back as Arran followed him up quickly, frowning gently.

“Jack stop!” He huffed, breathless from all the crying coupled with climbing the fairly long ladder to the deck. “You can’t do this!”

“Why can’t I? I think we could do this!” Jack grinned before looking around. “This thing needs a new theme. This won’t do at all!”

The automaton maker wandered around for a while before stopping, looking up at the blimp that hovered above them, ready to carry them high off into the sky as soon as the ropes were loosed.

“That’s what needs changing! That balloon!”

Arran frowned, deep creases forming across his forehead as he shook his head.
“No. Myles chose that one. I’m not changing it. Ever…” He told him firmly, but Jack just sighed.

“You can’t keep doing this to yourself! You’re tormenting yourself with the thought of your own best friend! If you don’t stop you’re going to tear yourself apart, and Myles would not want that at all! You know that!”

Arran blinked before glancing away. Jack was right. He usually was, actually. He looked up at his friend carefully and swallowed.

“What do we do?”

A slight smile crossed Jack’s lips and he looked up.

“We need something that reminds you of Myles but isn’t…oh I know!” He grinned before running to the ladder and sliding down. “Wait here!”

~ ~ ~

Jack eventually returned with lots of green and black fabric. He explained quickly what they were to do and set about making the new covering. When they were finished they both stepped back to admire their work.

A neatly sewn green cover had been put over the top of the old plain white balloon, lines of black with little black spots beside them down the back end. A cactus.

Cactus was the name of a drug. A powerful drug. The drug that Myles would sell in an evening when he was home early from work. No one could ever find how he did it or where his supply came from, but he was extremely rich because of it. Still, he continued to work in the factory as he didn’t feel that the floor workers were treated well.

“I think that looks good!” Jack beamed happily.

That was it then. Having untied the ropes and moved the ship outside slowly, the two boarded the craft and took to the skies.

Arran didn’t worry about Myles half as much after that moment.
In a dark world of slave labour and the poor being used as nothing more than rat food, Jack Chipper works at the better end of the spectrum. But when a close friend of his is killed in a freak factory fire, Jack must continue on like nothing has happened. How long could he last without trying to come to the aid of his closest friends?

~~~

This was the saddest chapter to write. Oh it hurts. Especially because I know what this feels like, what Arran and Jack have to go through at Myles' funeral. 
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Harmelodie's avatar
I love the story, but I think it'd be best if you add more characters to it. Jack, Arran and Sean seem to be the main characters, and I was wondering if more would be added, like Sept and Tedi? If you're low on ideas, they can help you make things interesting. :3