INK: Blue (INK Trilogy Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

open marina would be a true forest before too long.
    Everything is going back to how it once was, before we intervened and made it our own.
    Edsel peered into the distance at the town, and could see a series of high rise apartment blocks that somehow seemed more out of place than ever before. They were like alien oblongs that had no right to sit amongst the trees and the plants that slowly crept over everything, swamping man-made structures, now little more than breeding grounds for the life that had been held back by construction and more construction.
    Just try to enjoy it. It isn't all bad.
    Edsel walked fast and caught up with his family. "Let's go over there," he said, pointing to the apartment blocks. "If we go to the top we should have one hell of a view. It will be interesting to see what things look like, and that's about the highest spot around these parts."
    "Good idea," said Aiden, smiling, pleased to have a plan.

 
     
     
     
    HIGH
    Edsel hated it, he knew he would, just not quite how much. He found it incredible that he had lived in cities for so long after The Lethargy, only leaving after it all fell apart in Manchester. It just didn't compare, not even slightly.
    The cleanliness and naturalness of the countryside compared to the dead and dirt of towns and cities made his head spin. He couldn't imagine what it had been like with a constant flow of traffic, people everywhere, all that noise.
    You just get used to it. You like the ease of everything; all the luxuries you take for granted.
    As they walked toward the high rise buildings it all came flooding back to him; he tried his best to ignore the bad. It wasn't easy. Yet there was a beauty to it as well — the level of achievement was staggering when you thought about it. Thought about what went into buildings, roads and bridges, infrastructure on such a scale, and that it all really did used to work. Traffic lights, buildings, mains water, electricity, gas, sewage, and all the rest, it was quite hard to understand just how such complex systems functioned so well.
    People. It was all down to people. Now it's broken.
    They grew silent the more the buildings hemmed them in on either side, conscious of the lack of movement apart from the odd dog that eyed them warily, or fat pigeons fluttering away at the echoing footsteps. Seagulls were everywhere, a background noise that was a constant. It was as if the place was taking away their carefree attitude, making them huddle up inside themselves, withdrawing into a protective shell.
    They saw nobody, yet Edsel had the uneasy feeling that they were being watched from behind dark and dirty windows.
    The entrance to one of the apartment buildings was open, the once state-of-the-art electronic door system with retina detection technology now nothing but a bare metal frame, the thick glass swept aside into a neat pile by one meticulous resident.
    Maybe they still live here; the world isn't empty yet.
    The large foyer was a bit of a mess, but Edsel had seen a lot worse. There was even still a fake potted plant over by the old reception desk, used by security guards for their shifts to monitor the cameras and to help out the residents when needed — this was an expensive place to live and yet there had been a long waiting list because of the marina.
    There were piles of debris, but they were tidy piles, and the floor was rather clean. No rats, no bad smells, meaning either there was nobody left to mess things up or somebody had been doing their best to maintain the area.
    Stay positive, they are probably long gone.
    Nobody even bothered to check the elevators, it would just be a waste of time so they took to the stairs, all marveling at just how impressive it was, fake marble walls and even modern, or once modern at least, art still on the walls.
    "Hey, we should've had paintings at home. The walls are pretty bare." Aiden stopped to look at an abstract piece, turning his head from side to side. "Nothing like any of these