Retrospect

Thirty-eight

   "Sorry," I apologized, catching up behind Miles and Malachi, "didn't mean to take so long." I really hadn't hung back with Murl, Ana, and Reeves for very long, but Malachi and Miles moved fast. What was a couple seconds for me was a couple minutes for them.

   "You're fine," Malachi spoke, nodding in understanding. I chose to walk alongside him while Miles was on his left. We still hadn't spoken since early in the morning on the roof.

   The sky was transitioning from a royal blue to an orange with a mix of purples, a sliver of the burning sun rising up on the horizon. The strong, blinding beams of light reflected off the shining skyscrapers of the city. If the building that was gleaming the brightest wasn't Hale, I would have thought it was beautiful.

   The three of us put up our jacket hoods, passing a group of drowsy party-goers. We headed through the section's alleys in order to skip traveling the entire streets, this way, the trip to Hale would take less time. Miles remained on the other side of Malachi, not bothering to try to bring up anything about the tracker.

   I tried to convince myself I had a reason to stop talking to him, but when it came down to it, he hadn't known who I was or what I was doing at the worker celebration. And realistically, could I really have made it into Hale and back out again by myself? With the little experience I'd had then? Maybe I had to be the one to bring up the tracker again, though now was definitely not the time. We had to keep moving.

   We turned onto a street full of colorful buildings, much smaller than those in the Laurier Section. Barnie had a tendency to contain apartments and shops all decorated with crazy colors and patterns. The buildings were vibrant reds, blues, purples, and oranges and twinkling bulbs were strung up along the windows of the stores. What was odd was the lack of people on this street. Everyone was avoiding it for some reason and I soon found out why.

   I smelled a strong scent of cinnamon, vanilla, and something tangy and toxic. My stomach immediately twisted up in knots and it felt like my head was full of puffy clouds. Everything moved in and out of focus and I tripped over my own foot at one point.

   "Don't breathe in," Malachi warned, though it was mostly directed towards me because Miles was doing perfectly fine. He wasn't stumbling and struggling to keep up like I was.

   "What's happening?" I whispered, worry apparent in my voice. My eyelids felt heavy and I had the urge to close them and lay down on the ground right then and there. My vision got all blurry and my pulse was slowing dramatically. "What's happening?" I repeated, trying to locate Malachi or even Miles in my delirious state.

   "It's Sleep Spray," Miles answered knowingly, "the officers must have put it all over this street."

   I was able to see Malachi's hand reach out to me and grasp my arm, guiding me to the next alley that was safe from the clutches of the scent. I coughed and inhaled the fresh air (or at least as fresh as the air could get in the city), and my heart pounded in my chest. Brushing a hand through my hair, I was glad that I had made it out of the vicinity of the spray.

   "The smell will stick around a little longer so just try to keep your eyes open," Malachi informed, giving me an encouraging smile. I nodded, my eyes darting to Miles who was watching me calmly. Once I'd looked at him, he spun around and kept walking. "C'mon, I'll help you out," Malachi told me, offering his assistance.

   "Thanks," I told him gratefully, "I think I can move okay by myself though." I was more than thankful for Malachi at my side right now, but I knew I could walk without his help and I didn't want to slow anybody down.

   "You sure?" he questioned, to which I responded with a nod of my head. "Alright."

   He started after Miles, glancing back at me to make sure I was following. I moved as fast as I was able, taking my steps cautiously and staying alert and awake. I used the side of the buildings to stay upright, catching up to the two about a minute later.