The Loveland District was part of the Puyallup Barrens, filled with ruins of buildings and houses. Even tenements that looked abandoned often held whole families who survived on whatever—or whoever—they could find in nearby Fort Lewis. Skater knew the populace consisted primarily of chip-pushers, thieves, squatters, and prostitutes, all of whom lived off the military personnel and support units stationed at the fort. It wasn’t a place to come to do shadow biz, or any other kind. At 8:46 a.m., the neighborhood looked deserted. The people who were awake and living on the semblance of a diurnal lifestyle were afraid to come out and potentially end up as prey for others who were stronger or more desperate.