Young Writers Society

Horologist City - A massive floating city hovering thousands of feet above the ocean. Only one blimp travels in or out of the city monthly. But then a body in the factory district is found. One of the highest profile men in the city gruesomely murdered on the busiest street, and not a single witness testimony. Panic ensued, as the citizens became trapped on the floating island they called home. An amateur journalist, determined to hit it big in a world opposing a female in the industry, becomes involved as a distinguished investigator is hired to bring about justice, and the two's paths become entangled as they work to solve the crime.

Another worker bumped into him. That was the fourth one today, and he hadn't even arrived at the scene yet. Ugh, I hate the factory district, he thought to himself as he pushed through the crowd of grungy men and women responsible for manning the factory machines. The streets were full of them, and just the thought of solving a murder in this setting made his lip curl in contempt. The body was supposedly only twelve or so feet in front of him, but there were too many workers to actually see it, and just getting through to it would likely be a more difficult task then solving the crime.

"This is the first murder the city has seen since four years ago. Considering how well you solved that prostitute murder back then, I'm assigning you to this one. You have to understand - the whole city is on edge. No one can leave for another two weeks, so knowing that a murderer walks free--in the factory district no less--has them almost panicking. Make sure hell doesn't break loose, Hugo, and get to the bottom of this crime," the elderly man said, squinting at Hugo from over the top of a wide metal desk. The nameplate resting on the front read "Captain Bram Briarson", and his outfit displayed several symbols of high-status. His graying hair was neatly resting against his head, and his posture suggested he had not spent a day of his life in a factory.

"I understand, Captain," Hugo said, nodding. "Who's the victim?"

The captain referred to the papers laid out on his desm before answering. "Edison Gregory. He's a wealthy man who owns a series of large factories in the district. The rest of the reports are yours, so you can read them yourself."

Hugo pushed his way through the gathered crowd, becoming more and more aggressive as the task grew more difficult. After some struggle, he finally made it clear of the street congestion, onto the official crime scene. Thankfully, the only ones allowed this close to the body were investigators like himself, so he had the chance to fully inspect the scene. The body lay before Hugo, and he knelt down beside it to get a closer look. Before he could take in the whole scene, he heard a young woman's voice behind him.

"Mr. Hugo? Excuse me, Mr. Hugo? Hi, I have a few questions for you."