Kella stepped over the crumbled remains of the mud-bricks and into the back alley. She glanced both ways before turning to help Noma through. The old woman drew in a gasping breath. Her eyes glistened with tears from the smoke. Abeni stepped through next. He was trying not to cough.
“Ash…,” she started to say, concerned before she saw him appear through the smoke.
“We have to go that way, the other way is a dead end,” Abeni choked out.
The small group moved down the narrow alley. Kella felt uneasy. There were a dozen or so doors on either side of the alley. She eyed them warily as they passed. The alley was a death trap – narrow, long, and with limited exits.
She breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the end of it. Peering around the corner to see if the coast was clear, she lean
