44 PlagueSpitalfields would normally have been a throbbing mass of activity at this time in the day, but the historic market was deathly silent apart from the odd growl emanating from a pack of roaming dogs feasting on various bloodied carcasses. The army cleared the streets of dead bodies as often as their duties would allow but there was always plenty of fresh meat for the cats and dogs that had been lucky enough to escape domestic captivity – feral instincts soon coming to the fore.
The alpha dog pricked his ears up as the child’s cries interrupted the savage feast. Red-tinged slobber drooled from the Alsatian’s mouth as it raised its head trying to locate the source of the noise.
The little black boy was around three years old and wore only a filthy pair of shorts, his shoes and t-sh
