I found myself sunken against the wall of some filthy alleyway, chest heaving hard enough to hurt.
The place smelled like wet concrete, old piss, and smoke. Water dripped somewhere in the dark with slow, uneven taps. My lungs burned from all the running. Sweat rolled down the side of my face while distant voices echoed through the streets beyond the alley.
Shouting.
Boots.
Radios crackling.
Bill's people.
Soldiers.
Everybody looking for us.
I dragged a hand through my damp hair and kept my head lowered for a second, trying to breathe through the pounding in my skull.
Fuck, man.
Beside me, Lila's breathing came fast too.
Naomi stood across from us near the opposite wall, bent slightly forward with her hands on her knees while she tried catching her breath.
Nobody spoke.
Then Lila started laughing.
Quiet at first.
Little breaths.
Tiny cracks in her throat.
I lifted my head slowly.
Her eyes were red again.
Not crying red.
That other kind.
That awful kind.
