The narrow streets were bordered on both sides by sagging houses built with materials ranging from bamboo to tinder and broken bricks, others that could pass as mansions in the neighborhood. Some houses were dark with boarded-up windows, others were brightly lit. The sound of loud music—forró—spilled out onto the street, along with screaming laughter.
A few kilometers later, graffiti-covered walls and brimming dumpsters replaced the rambling favela, interrupted by dirty apartment buildings with a few shops scattered in the middle. Carol’s fear increased with every dilapidated structure they passed. Some shops had thick bars on the windows, as well as most first and second-floor apartments. The streets here were uneven, filled with potholes and chipped speed bumps. This was an area torment
