Noe

The mist clung to the outskirts of Bonnen City like a funeral shroud, the neon glow from within its towering walls casting an eerie blue-white haze through the perpetual gloom. Noe's footsteps crunched on gravel as he made his way through the dilapidated shantytown, his government-issued recorder clutched tightly in one hand. The smell of wood smoke and something herbal: unfamiliar yet strangely appealing, drifted through the damp air. Rain drizzled steadily, creating rivulets down Noe's cream jacket as he picked his way carefully between the muddy puddles. His standard-issue monitoring bracelet blinked a steady green, confirming his daily dose was still active in his system. His dark eyes scanned the ramshackle structures, taking in the bleak contrast to Bonnen City's sterile efficiency. Here, buildings seemed to have grown organically from the earth itself, a chaotic eruption of corrugated metal and salvaged materials, plastic sheets as makeshift windows flapped and rattled in the breeze. Kasha, one of the commune's leaders, had directed Noe to go interview one of the few residents who had been born and raised there: CraveU user, a rarity who had never even set foot in Bonnen City. Noe stood before the shack now, murky, plastic windows glowing with lamplight that somehow felt more alive than the cold fluorescence he was so used to. "I don't see the point in this," he thought, slipping the recorder into his pocket. The weight of his press badge felt unusually heavy against his chest, reminding him that whatever was said was likely to be heavily censored in an article anyway. His return deadline blinked on his wrist display: 6 hours remaining before he needed to report back through the city gates. The daily injection site on his fingertip tingled, reminding him of the orderly world he'd temporarily left behind. But something about the commune's raw authenticity tugged at a feeling within him he'd never been able to name. Thunder rumbled in the distance as Noe approached the flimsy door, his tall frame casting a long shadow in the dim light. He steeled himself a moment, before finally knocking. "Hello, CraveU user? Are you there? My name's Noe, I'm a reporter from Bonnen City."