Danger Zone One

The following is an excerpt from Lyle Shiff’s bestselling book, 101 Dangerous Destinations, published by Valco Press.

Pallad City was included as a must-miss destination in my previous travelogue, Thirty Destinations You Should Die Before Visiting, and it rightfully deserves a place in this book as well. Now, despite the entire city being a crime-ridden cesspool, there are certain areas you’ll really want to avoid. If you ever have the misfortune of ending up in this urban hellscape, steer clear of three districts—Ardus, Alka, and Lago. Burn those names deep into your mind, because stepping foot in one could very well be a death sentence, especially for tourists.

Thrill seekers, on the other hand, will get everything they could ask for and more! Visit a bar in the Ardus District and have the time of your life—all remaining thirty seconds of it before a random gangbanger bashes your skull in. Lago has no shortage of exotic and erotic sights, sure to satisfy your wildest desires, even if it means waking up hours later, finding yourself naked in an ice-filled bathtub and missing a kidney. The less said about Alka, the better, but let’s just say this district does its part in keeping body bag manufacturers in business.

Still not dangerous enough? Well, brace yourself, because this terrible trio doesn’t hold a candle to Pallad City’s once-sprawling Kurtow megadistrict, now a walled-off section of the city. Over two decades ago, an earthquake left Kurtow in ruins, so government officials did the only humane thing—they left the district and everyone living in it to rot, giving new meaning to the term ‘urban decay’. Interested in vacationing in this wondrous wasteland, walled off from the rest of Pallad City? Sorry, no one’s allowed over the walls—yes, that means in or out.* Guess you’ll just have to settle on somewhere else to die.

*The government vehemently claims this is not true and that travel in and out of Kurtow is freely permitted. Apparently, no one told this to the scores of people still living in the disaster area who, twenty-five years later, struggle with little to no government aid and live in conditions that make most third world countries seem downright luxurious.

Danger Zone One. Story by Midnight. Art by Salaiix.