The city at dusk was a canvas of long, grasping shadows and eerie silence. Ayham led the way like a ghost in the ruins.
He moved with an instinctual knowledge of the urban landscape, guiding Shihab through a circuitous route of broken fences, rusted drainage pipes, and abandoned routes that formed a secret city.
They found their vantage point in the skeleton of a multi-story parking garage overlooking a central plaza that had once been a bustling market.
Apparently it was now the heart of the g**g's territory. Makeshift stalls were manned by suspicious-looking individuals. They were standing around a man who was sitting on the hood of a polished, armored truck. He had a neatly trimmed beard and wore a clean, tactical vest, looking more like a politician than a scavenger. The men arou
