Another work-in-progress. I'm posting it to get critique and feedback.

I clutched my jacket tightly as a bone-chilling breeze went through the now abandoned streets. It once had been a grand city with neon lights flashing 24/7, and skyscrapers that reached the clouds. Now they called it “The City that Forever Sleeps”. It was the trademark of a great nation, known by all. But this is what was left of it, this was New York City. One by one, the great cities of the world fell apart. An epidemic that changed the earth forever.

Of course, I’m only a small part of all of this tragedy. My name is Matt. I’m seventeen, I have dark-brown hair, brown eyes, pale…I don’t exactly stand out. I live in the Bronx, what was previously thought of as the ghetto of New York, doesn’t seem like that anymore. Most of New York is similar to the Bronx now, so it’s difficult to differentiate one part of the city from the other.

I live in an antiquated, shabby apartment with my friend Cairo. It still surprises me that we’re friends-despite the fact that we’re the same age, we couldn’t be more diverse. He’s the optimist and pretty-boy. If we lived in a better time and went to school, then he would be the one getting all the girls. His dark skin and green eyes are definitely unique.

“Hey Matt, come watch this. They’re showing more proof that the world leaders did it,” Cairo yelled from the living room, which consisted of a mildewed sofa and a timeworn television. That’s another thing about Cairo. He, like everyone else, is dead-set on blaming our problems on the global governments. The strange phenomenon occurring around the world does appear to be a direct cause of various governments’ abuse of power and carelessness, but there just seems to be something bigger going on behind the scenes.

As usual procedure went, I strode into the room. This wasn’t anything new. Cairo was always telling me what was going on in the news to try and prove his theory correct.

“Come on, hurry up! Listen to this!”

“All right, I’m coming,” I groaned.

I slumped into the sofa and it swallowed me like quick-sand. We would have to steal a new one soon. Suddenly, a neatly dressed woman reporter popped onto the screen.

“Another victim has succumb to the GD today and gave further evidence that the government is to blame.”

A second woman, this one resembling an escapee from an asylum, appeared on the screen with much less composure.

“It’s them! It’s their fault! Their fault! I know! I know!”

The reporter spoke once again.

“As you can all see, this woman with GD is clearly referring to the government as the cause of her disease. Now on to-”

“Cairo, turn that crap off,” I fussed.

“Why? You don’t want to admit you’re wrong?” Cairo retorted.

“That proved nothing. Everyone just wants to use anything they can to put the blame on the governments. For God sake’s, they named the disease GD-Governmental Disease. Now if that’s not assuming, then I don’t know what is.”

“So you think you know the answer?” Cairo smirked.

I hated when he did that. “No. I don’t have the answer, but I don’t think anyone else does either.” “People aren’t getting this disease and going insane for no reason,” he said all-knowingly.

I sighed. “I know that Cairo. Let’s just go out and try to find something to eat for now,” I stated trying to change the topic.

Should I title this The World that Forever Sleeps? Just a thought.