It had been four long days since that woman recognized me.
Four days since my blood turned to ice as I heard my name whispered with suspicion in the street. Since I dashed through alleyways like a fugitive and bolted into this derelict apartment where the walls were thin, the locks were rusted, and the air stank of mildew and loneliness. I hadn't left since.
I didn't even risk a glance out the window. Hunger gnawed at my insides like a feral animal. I'd stretched a single loaf of bread into multiple meals, drank tap water that tasted like rust, and chewed gum just to fool my stomach. But today... there was nothing left. Not even crumbs.
I had no choice.
My reflection in the cracked mirror made me flinch. My face was drawn, my skin pale, lips dry. The hoodie I'd been wearing for days hu
