In 2016 Baltimore is undergoing a paradigm shift in violence patterns. These are important to note while writing a story set in the near future. Increased use of vehicles for assault, robbery and mob attacks and of smart phones for communication and misinformation are hallmarks of the ascendant criminal class as they seize control of the urban and suburban landscape.
10-11:30 p.m., 9/29/16
An unmarked, black van with tinted windows cruises slowly through the back streets in the city, slowing as it passes the walker and then continuing.
One lone, nervous, young man waiting fearfully at the county stop.
Hard, driving rain, a gust destroys umbrella, scratches glasses and tears rain poncho.
A young blonde woman in a small sedan drives 55 in a 25, with a small man, ten years her senior, tailing her bumper to bumper, sheets of water cast off by their racing cars.
A dark SUV, with tinted windows and high beams on, idles on the side of the road as I walk into the headlights on the sidewalk. As I approach the vehicle the passenger side window rolls down. I do not look in and keep my hands under my poncho. As soon as I pass the vehicle I turn to see if anyone has gotten out and it speeds off.
Reverent Chandler: The Saga of Fend
