The driver hits the brakes and I slam into Cole with enough force that he stumbles onto the floor. Tires squeal, smelling of burned rubber, while male voices scream all sorts of profanity outside. Cole’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me back to my seat, and Zeus starts barking wildly.
“Your stop’s here. Keep low to the ground. Head five blocks east and they’ll find you.”
I want to ask what he means, but next thing I know, the sunlight blinds me and we step into the unfamiliar street.
CHAPTER 16
The landscape looks like a concrete jungle with tin shacks shoved between large buildings. The contrast of the gray dust and the faded red of a nearby tarp draw my attention. It captivates me for no other reason than the fact that it looks like art. We had all kinds of paintings and photos hanging on the walls in our High Society condo. They were all names of famous artists that I can’t recollect, but I know beauty when I see it, even if it is in the slums.
Overhead, clouds roll in like waves and cover the sun’s brilliant rays. Not a soul occupies these streets, but we move carefully to avoid the cameras.
I spy a bouncy ball and know somewhere there’s a child missing it. The thought makes me ache inside. Another child whose life is riddled with violence. I can’t change what happened to me at my stepfather’s hands, but maybe—just maybe—if I ever escape from the Hole, I can make a positive difference for the sake of another child.
The intensity on Cole’s face keeps me from speaking. I can tell the surrounding area has him and Bruno on eggshells as they check each corner, alley, and street that we pass. Their hands tightly wind around their weapons and their eyes widen, surveying the area for any suspicious movements. First Bruno moves and then motions us with his hands to follow. The dull thud of our footsteps echoes through an otherwise ominously quiet block.
One block down. We follow Bruno into a narrow alley and stop to gather our thoughts for a minute before moving on. “Hey.” Bruno motions from the front and Cole comes around me with his gun cocked and ready. “We’ve got four blocks to go. You want me to stay point?”
“Yeah, Zeus and I don’t mind bringing up the rear,” Cole whispers.
Bruno nods, then squats down as a troop of guards runs past the entrance to the alley. We all hold our breath and pray. Cole pulls Zeus close to his body to keep him from sounding the alarm. I squeeze my eyes closed and hear the blood rushing through my ears. My heart pounds with adrenaline.
The guards seem too involved in whatever they’re doing to notice us hiding between the buildings. Thank God, I think. That counts as two strokes of luck today. But as soon as we leave the alley, I hear the sound of boots following us. First slow and then quicker, as if they’re sharks catching the scent of blood.
“Stop!” A voice cuts through the air.
But of course we don’t. Bruno sprints, looking for cover, as we tag along behind him. My breath comes in short, ragged bursts and I feel like my lungs will explode before we find somewhere to go.
“By order of the commander, halt!” the voice yells again.
I know it’s only a matter of seconds before they open fire because we have no intentions of stopping—for anyone. Come on, Bruno. Come on! My insides scream in desperation thinking about Cole behind me and our lives hanging in the balance. I lick my cracked lips, imagining how good water would taste as I puff along with them. Zeus’s tongue hangs out as he runs without effort. I know he could outsprint us all if he wanted, but he’s loyal and won’t leave us.
Seeing nowhere else to go, Bruno kicks in the door of a small house and weaves through it. Just as Cole enters, I hear the automatic rat, tat, tatting of guns open up outside. Dirt spits off the ground where bullets hit. A lone man sits at his table about to eat when we startle him. He jumps under the table with wide eyes and his dentures clatter to the floor as he yells for us to leave.
“Sorry, sir!” Cole apologizes as he runs through the kitchen. “Just passing through. Oh Lord, Zeus, put those down!” Cole yells and it’s not hard for me to guess what Zeus picked up.
We crash through the only other room of the house and barge through the back door into another shanty. Where are we going? The muscles in my legs burn from trying to keep up with Bruno, who’s a physical machine. Sweat drips down my face and stings my eyes, forcing me to wipe them with my dirty hands.
“We have to move faster. Try to pick up your pace,” Cole says behind me.
I can’t stop to check him, and as long as he talks, I know he’s there. I don’t want to lose him. I don’t want to die yet… I’m not ready. Not when I’m this close to being safe and seeing my brother for the first time in years. I don’t want this all to be for nothing.
We stumble through three, four, five more shanty houses before spilling into another street adjacent to the one before.
“Oh, this is great! Now where the hell are we?” Cole says under his breath.