Cogs in Time Anthology (The Steamworks Series) Read Online Free

lone patron sat on a stool, but paid her no mind. She sat at a booth in the corner where she could watch the door, dusting off the peanut shells as she did. She waited, the deafening sound of her heart beginning to fade, and finally glanced away from the entrance to look at the man at the bar.
    He sat with a forlorn expression, no drink in hand, and didn’t seem to notice her. Odd that he is the only one in the whole place , Amelia mused. Remembering her bodice ripping during the attack, she checked to be sure she was still covered, and sighed at the loss of the only fine dress she owned.
    Curiously, she couldn’t remember where she had been that warranted such a fine garment, but her brain was still foggy from the attack. She continued to sit in the corner, intent on waiting for the clock tower to strike six, when it would be safe to head home. Where is my home?
    ****
     
    Jolting awake at the sound of the clock gong, Amelia realized that she had fallen asleep on the table. Disgusting , she thought as she peeled her cheek from the residue of dried alcohol coating the wood. She noticed the same man, sitting in the exact spot as when she had arrived, still staring at the mirror above the bar. The tables were all empty, as was the bar, save the lone man, so she stood and cautiously opened the door to peer outside.
    The orange sun was just on the horizon, rays of light warming the cold cobblestone and beckoning Amelia to bask in their warmth. She stepped outside, craning her neck left and right, but the streets were empty. The buildings were run down, as she was on a side of town where the lower class lived. Chipped brick and dirty windows made up the row of empty shops on either side of her. There wasn’t a soul in sight, no tittering to be heard as the ladies of the night headed home. The streets were empty of the usual workers destined for the cotton mills, and the torches from the night before still burned.
    With one last tentative look in both directions, Amelia ran her hands over her goose bump covered, bare arms as her teeth chattered. She tried in vain to remember where she could go, where she lived, but groaned from the headache that confused her thoughts. I must have hit my head harder than I thought. Grasping the sides of her head, she drew her hand back to reveal  smudges of crimson on her fingertips.
    Amelia walked to one of the abandoned shops and peered at her warped reflection in the filth-covered glass. She gingerly touched her head where clotted blood lined the left side of her hairline and flinched from the pain. Lights exploded behind her eyes and lightning seared from temple to temple. She placed her hand against the disgusting window and took a deep breath as she tried to will the pain away long enough to think.
    With no idea whether she was headed in the right direction, Amelia limped down the road towards the giant clock tower in the center of town. After passing a block of shops, she decided to brave the cold and stopped to remove the lopsided heels, opting instead to carry them. She thought it curious that there wasn’t a soul to be seen. The whole street was desolate, no clopping horse hooves or carriage wheels bumping along the cobblestones to be heard. Halfway to her destination, she came upon a single woman standing by the door to an apartment building.
    Amelia attempted to gain her attention. “Excuse me, but do you know where everyone is?”
    The woman continued to look past Amelia, as if she had not heard her at all.
    Amelia cleared her parched throat and tried once more. “Ma’am, do you know why the streets are so empty this morning?” The street vendors were even missing, their carts selling various items nowhere in sight.
    “This damn plague. Everyone. It has taken everyone.”
    Well, that’s just not possible, Amelia thought, dismissing the woman as she continued padding towards the center of town. I’m sure to find people near the town square. She tripped, stubbing her toe on a