The scratches on Gloria’s left shin and the pain in her right ankle did not wear off as soon as she hoped. Even with her Qi helping her with the recovery process, she was still unable to run or even walk too fast. Lucky for her this did not hinder her abilities to handle her normal day job too seriously - her work at the coffee shop owned by Luoshan Zi did not require that much quick moving around or heavy lifting.

Gloria and Sue’s lives slowed down slightly just when they needed it. For Sue, the need for her work of being a mortuary makeup artist remained constant. It was one of the oldest jobs in the district and the city, and one that despite rising demand, not many were willing to join ranks.

For Gloria, being the most senior employee of Luoshan Zi’s coffee shop was her main source of income, thus even with her side job of a temporary watcher for the Fuman Coffin Home up in the air, she would not need to worry too much, financially. And of course, there’s also the “side income” she could occasionally gain from unsuspecting, obnoxiously behaving tourists from other districts.

Same could not be said of many of those in the district. When she pushed her way through the local railway station, she counted around ten to twelve beggars around the station in various corners. Some of whom were of course fake, yet most of whom were real, and whether they’d get a good meal today would largely depend on whether some of the people traveling through the rail were feeling generous.

It had been more than a week since she last babysat Kevin Teith. And the thought lingered in her mind about the rumors of missing children. It was an unpleasant thought, and knowing it's coming from the Northern District, the arguably richest district in Poison City, did not help.

The train ride to the Northern District was slightly more crowded than usual. This meant that there were more likely more tourists to the South-Eastern District today and now they were just on their way back. Her theory was later confirmed, as she pushed over a group of middle-aged people with the same orange, yellow and white stickers on their clothes. Tourist groups, the easiest way for one to explore the South-Eastern District without almost any hassle or research. Perfect for the folks who were busy in their daily lives, who just wanted to have a fun and different experience within the city, without having to deal with hassles of out-of-city travel.

Pushing through a crowd once again and looking around for any potential targets for her “additional income”, Gloria moved slowly and carefully from the cars in the back to those in the front. This time, there were no good targets, almost all of the tourists seemed just plainly tired, none of whom were behaving in a way that in Gloria’s mind justified having their wallets lifted. They were just tired looking, and somehow all seemed to be in a gloomy mood.

“I think I’m getting old.” One of the middle aged male tourists sighed to his wife: “Just this little walking around, and legs are already hurting. My back is tense as well.”

“Yeah I think it’s the weather. It was chilly and windy all day.” His wife shook her head: “We’d be better when we get back. We’ve not walked this long for quite a while, it’s bound to be tiring.”

“Nah, I think it’s more than the weather.” Another middle aged female tourist sighed: “I have never been so tired before. I don’t know why! And I’m not getting old. No way!”

Before Gloria could eavesdrop anymore, the train arrived at the stop of the tourists, and they all got up and off boarded the train.

Gloria sighed at the sight of these tourists, feeling pity but slightly relieved. She was not proud of this source of income. But sometimes she just couldn’t help herself in wanting to give some of the annoying outsiders a lesson, and sometimes, she just needed it.

The ride to Gloria’s station did not take long. She headed to the Teiths’ residence without delay. The weather was warmer here in the Northern District, and the street lights of better quality were providing more ample lighting. This lightened Gloria’s mood slightly.

But this change was short lived, as when she was about to cross a street, a long and shiny silvery gray limo with loud music and bass blaring through blocked her way, along with many pedestrians’.

“Hey! Move it!” It was a narrow pass on a small street, though everyone could walk around it, it still gave them a little bit of trouble, so one of the pedestrians yelled at the limo.

“Hey shut the fuck up you loser!” A butch woman with braids in her hair opened a side window holding a half empty glass: “My friend’s getting married! When are you gonna get some huh? You go back to your mom and suck on it!”

“Why don’t you crawl back into a lagoon, you snail!” Just this moment, another car rushed through the yellow light and almost rear ended the limo, and the driver reached out of her window and yelled at the pedestrian: “Fuck off!”

Gloria tried to get around the limo, but her legs did not allow her to move any faster than what anyone with intact legs would call skipping. Her right ankle hurt and her right lower leg felt numb. The crowd around her kept squeezing and pushing her. The limo and the new car were blocking most of the cross walk. All of these just made her more anxious, yet she could only move to the other side at the speed of a snail.

After almost fifteen minutes of painful and stressful walking, or dragging, she made it to the street where Teiths’ residence was.

The atmosphere was different than when she last came. The few people along the street were moving in groups. Almost every house in her sight had some kind of security or surveillance device installed: window bars, security cameras, alarm sensors, and even full metal reinforced doors.

“Hello, do you need help?” Just this moment, a man and a woman wearing a blue arm band crossed the street and asked Gloria.

“Uh - thanks. But I'm good for now.” Gloria nodded: “I’m just on my way - ”

“Where are you going? If - if you don’t mind us asking.” The woman asked.

“I’m going to a friend’s place.” Gloria frowned: “I’m sorry - but why do you need to know?”

“My apologies.” The man nodded: “We are members of a new local volunteer group. In light of recent events, we take up the responsibility of patrolling around these parts, to ensure the safety of the community. I’m sure you can understand…”

“I - I don’t really feel very comfortable telling you where I’m going. But I am definitely not up to anything.” Gloria shook her head: “As you can tell, my legs are a bit…”

“She’s with us! She’s with us!” Just this moment, Samantha Teith’s voice came from behind these two arm band wearers. “My apologies, I wanted to tell you, but I wasn’t able to find you earlier.”

“Mrs. Teith.” The woman nodded at Samatha Teith: “Can we know what she is here for?”

“She’s our babysitter for tonight. You know, because we have those important meetings.” Samantha Teith’s looked weary, there were bags under her eyes and her hair seemed uncombed: “Her name is Gloria Lee, she’s from the South-Eastern District.”