Lord of the Flies (literally)

Date: Sivan 3, 5784

Lewiston, New Cumbria

After months of relative peace in Belgium, stepping back onto the streets of Lewiston feels like entering a war zone. The city, once bustling with life and activity, now teeters on the edge of collapse. My first walk through the city streets revealed a place barely holding itself together.

Sanitation workers have laid down their tools, leading to uncollected trash piling up on sidewalks, attracting rats that now seem as common as pigeons once were. The stench is unbearable, a constant reminder of the city's decay. Meanwhile, hospitals are overwhelmed, swamped with the casualties of ongoing street battles and a new, devastating wave of hardcore street drugs that has gripped the populace.

The violence has escalated to the point where walking through certain neighborhoods feels akin to navigating a minefield. Rival factions, once merely loud voices in crowded bars, now clash openly in the streets. The sounds of sirens and gunfire have become the city’s dreadful lullabies.

Only a few areas, like Lewiston Island and Northwoods, offer a semblance of stability, though even these are like fortresses in a siege, bracing for the chaos to spill over their thresholds at any moment.

This isn't just a city struggling; this is a city being pulled apart at the seams. As a journalist, my role is to document these dark times, to tell the stories of those trapped in this urban collapse. Yet, as a human, it's hard not to feel the weight of despair that hangs thick in the air.

But amidst this chaos, there are stories of resilience and bravery. Community leaders, local doctors, even everyday citizens are banding together, forming neighborhood watches, providing makeshift medical camps, and more. There is light in the darkness, however faint.

As I settle back into Lewiston, my mission is clear: to bring these stories to you, to shine a light on the struggles and the triumphs of this city's residents. It's good to be home, even if home is far from what it used to be.

Stay tuned for more updates from a city fighting for its soul.

— Miko Tanaka