Connor pulled his wool collar over his chin, stepping carefully around a pile of fractured concrete blocks. While the rain had ceased, a dark sludge still covered the cracked pavement of the lower district, making every step treacherous.
Leo walked beside him, holding a paper map under his arm to navigate the ruined alleys.
Fortunately, they had avoided the security patrols so far. Ophelia paused near the corner of a collapsed warehouse, her eyes scanning the dark street to ensure they had not attracted the municipal security drones patrolling the upper grids.
"The old Thorne estate is just two blocks south," Ophelia said, pointing toward a crumbling stone archway.
"We must move quickly, because if a patrol spots us in this sector, we will be forced to explain our presence to the High District inspectors," Connor replied, keeping his head down.
