Chapter 82

I didn't know how long I'd been walking.

The sky was darker now, and my legs began to ache but I kept moving. I couldn't place a name on the street I was in, it was definitely farther from my house and Michelle's.

But I had a feeling it was deep downtown, and it was unsettling.

You didn't come here unharmed. You never came alone either, especially if it is not your turf.

Kids zipped past me on skateboards, laughing and talking. A group of men sat on a porch nearby, beer bottles clinking as they hollered at something.

My nose wrinkled at the faint smell of cigarettes lingering in the air.

I walked past an alleyway where a couple was locked in a feverish kiss, too lost in each other to notice me.

Shit.

I pulled my jacket tighter around my body, lowering my head and walking faster until I was in the open street. I sighed at the sight of neon lights in front of stores, and a school bus gently rolling to a stop at the intersection.

My eyes caught a tiny ice cream shop, glowing und