Rachel hated S"aven. She hated the cramped tower blocks, stacked full of desperate families working long, unsociable hours. She hated the stinking pollution that lingered over the town in thick clouds of smog. She hated the endless, riotous noise: the sirens, the shouting, the crying. She hated the blackouts. The violence. The desolation. Mostly she hated the fact they were going back there.
S"aven was broken and dying. It had been for as long as she had known it. She had witnessed the first eruptions of dissent when she was starting her first year at the hospital. Over time it had worsened. On their last visit much of the town was on fire, the residents raging in the streets with smashed bottles and lost hope. It was strange to think this visit could end the town altogether.
The van rat
