The sound of the police sirens grew softer and softer until they disappeared completely. An uncomfortable silence fell over the city. It was a strange, unnatural quiet that felt heavy and threatening.
Ace and his friends moved carefully through back alleys and side streets. They stuck to the shadows, hiding behind dumpsters and in dark doorways. Their entire world had become very small—it was just about finding the next place to hide and then the next one after that.
The powerful rush of energy they felt from their daring escape and their risky move at the train yard was now completely gone. In its place was a deep tiredness that went all the way to their bones. They didn't need to talk about it; they all understood their situation perfectly. They were in terrible danger.
They were no longer prisoners, but they didn't feel free. They felt like ghosts, invisible and alone, in a city that now felt like a cemetery for the lives they used to have.
