London Wild

London in the year 2948 was very much a city of lights. Every street in the city where people might have business during the dead of night, including the golden mile and the large shopping districts, was kept illuminated to the extent that it was often difficult to tell the difference between day and night. If that wasn’t enough, there were cameras everywhere, dozens of cameras per street, more cameras than they could possibly afford to hire people to monitor. All to protect the people of the city from the cat-like hunters who prowled the streets of the city and the South-East of the country and who had done so for nearly an entire millennium now....

...February Sivka was seventeen. She had been born in the town of Sou’nd, virtually the east coast of the country, and had moved to Upminster as soon as she had been able, where she now lived alone. During the day she worked as a computer programmer and web designer. She’d usually telecommute from home because of the perceived risk from the Herbaht. During the night she tended to relax with the newspaper or even an occasional book. She didn’t really know any of her neighbors all that well, but she had never given them any cause to be concerned about her occasional trips to the city. Thanks to years of experience and the right combination of make-up, February was able to effectively hide her true race even from those who thought they did know her.

Every month, sometimes twice a month, February climbed into the driver’s seat of her car while it was still daylight outside (and therefore not too suspicious) and drove to London.