"After dark, if someone calls you from behind, don't look back."
——New Testament Proverbs
After a five-day transoceanic voyage, Sean Dickinson stepped off the "Golden Age" cruise ship and set foot on the land of the Newland Federal State for the first time in his life.
It's getting late and it's raining continuously. In the distance, under the gloomy sky, the roof of the Divine Kingdom Building sticks into the clouds and mist, like a pillar of heaven and earth.
The raindrops hit the umbrella above the head, making a crisp sound. Sean walked forward, carefully keeping his leather shoes away from the puddles. The slightly fishy sea breeze is mixed with the smell of mud.
The street outside the pier was a little quiet. When Sean held an umbrella and looked around, a black taxi stopped in front of him.
The driver was a fat man in his fifties who looked very kind. He looked at Sean through the window with a reassuring smile on his face: "God bless you, sir. It looks like you need a ride."
Sean secretly sighed at his luck: "You came just in time."
The driver got out of the car in the rain, took the travel bag, opened the back seat door, and let Sean get into the car. Sean felt warmer.
Returning to the driving seat, the driver muttered as he started the vehicle: "The weather this year is really bad, there are so many rainy days! - Where are you going?"
"Ninth Avenue."
The Ford slowly drove out of the dock area.
…
Sean looked out the car window. It gets dark very quickly, and the bustling and blurry side of the metropolis gradually wakes up.
The man in a suit sat on a high chair and let the boy in the peaked hat polish his leather shoes diligently. The man struck a match and lit a cigarette, and the firelight illuminated his angular face for a moment.
Under the "Dorothy Nightclub" sign made up of neon lights, a three-person band was playing jazz. The black trumpeter was very involved, his old leather shoes were tapping on the ground, and his bulging cheeks were shiny.
A giant movie poster was illuminated by a spotlight, depicting a bowler hat and a mustachioed man in an ill-fitting suit smiling at passers-by, "JoJo's first talkie - Modern Times!"
I don't know if it was an hallucination or not, but out of the corner of his eye, Sean noticed that Jojo blinked on the poster. He looked at it again, but his expression was still fixed.
"Are you from Leon?" The driver George glanced at Sean in the rearview mirror.
His attention was drawn back by George's voice, and knowing that the other party recognized his accent, Sean nodded.
"New Testament City is a good place." George smiled, "Young people like you should go out and walk more often."
"I'm not here for fun."
"What are you here for? Are you here to discuss business?" Taxi drivers love to chat, and George is no exception.
Sean sighed: "I'm here to find someone."
"A debtor?" George raised his eyebrows with a slight smile on his lips, "Or a lover?"
After a little hesitation, Sean decided to tell the truth: "I came to see my sister. She came to New York City a month ago, and there has been no news from her for more than ten days."
The smile on George's face faded: "Sorry, I think you should go to the disciplinary center to report a case, go to the newspaper to publish a missing person notice or something... What is your sister's name? Maybe I can help you find out."
Sean solemnly said: "Aaliyah Dickinson."
"Aaliyah..." After George muttered softly, the carriage fell into silence.
"Is it foggy?" Sean turned his gaze to the car window again, a little surprised. The originally clear streets and neon signs were now enveloped in thick fog and became ambiguous. The noise in the street also became muffled.
George sighed: "This damn weather..."
The fog was so thick that almost only the taillights of the car in front could be seen. Traffic began to congest, and taxis could only move slowly. The traffic kept blaring their horns, which made Sean feel a little irritated.
George slapped his forehead: "There is a celebration parade on Central Avenue tonight, I forgot about it!"
"Celebration parade?"
George turned around: "Celebrating the first anniversary of the lifting of Prohibition—do these lunatics have to come here every year?"
The taxi was stuck in the stagnant traffic. In the thick fog ahead, the sound of music and people singing could be faintly heard.
"I won't be able to walk for a while." George patted the steering wheel.
Sean looked at his watch: "How far is it from Ninth Avenue?"
"It's not far. Turn two blocks around and you'll be there in ten minutes' walk."
"Okay." Sean looked at the taxi and it showed 57 cents. He counted out the 60 cent coin and handed it to George, "No need to look for it."
Sean got out of the car, closed the door, took his travel bag, and walked to the sidewalk.
George shouted from behind: "God will bless Aaliyah!"
Sean turned around, and the thick fog had covered George's face.
"Thank you," was the response, and Sean stepped onto the sidewalk.
On a foggy and cold day, Sean wrapped his coat tightly and walked towards the hustle and bustle.
After walking for about five minutes, the fog suddenly dispersed and the street became bright again.
Shredded paper flowers danced in the air, like shining snow falling.
A marching band played cheerful music, and people dressed in beautiful clothes gathered around a large wine bottle-shaped flower basket, cheering and walking.
Some were singing and dancing, some were hugging and kissing, and some were smiling at each other. People's faces were filled with joy.
Sean seemed a little out of place. He turned up his collar and walked silently. He just wanted to get to the hotel and rest as soon as possible.
Perhaps it was this sense of detachment that made people passing by him look sideways at Sean, who was in a hurry.
Sensing that someone seemed to want to talk to him, Sean quickened his pace not wanting to waste time.
Bang!
Just as he accelerated, Sean collided head-on with someone.
"I'm sorry." Sean apologized and looked up.
The person he bumped into was a young lady. She had beautiful curly chestnut hair, beautiful facial features, exquisite makeup, and was wearing a light yellow dress. She was the kind of young beauty who could be seen at a glance in a crowd.
The girl in front of him looked at Sean, her red lips slightly opened, showing a very surprised expression.
The surprise disappeared in a flash, and her expression immediately returned to normal. She grabbed Sean and took him with her.
Being approached by a beautiful girl will naturally make a man happy, but Sean asked slightly warily: "What is this for?"
The girl's expression seemed like she was just hanging out with her boyfriend: "Behave naturally, don't look at or talk to the people next to you, just follow me."
Sean tried to understand what was happening: "Are you in trouble?"
"No, you're in trouble."
I? Is someone following me? Sean was a little nervous and instinctively wanted to look around. The girl quickly tugged on his arm: "Be natural!"
Sean was a little annoyed: "What's going on?"
The girl still kept smiling, as if she was just chatting with Sean: "Next, please do as I say. Because..."
After hearing the second half of the sentence, Sean, who was originally a little sullen, looked at the girl's blue eyes that flashed a serious light for a moment, and was shocked to the point of speechlessness——
"Because we are the only two people alive on this street."
