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As soon as they started towards the alley the man angled to intercept them and picked up his pace. By the time Mort and Lily darted into the alley, all three of them were at a dead run.
The alley was narrow with tall buildings stretching up to the sky, blocking the sun and making it gloomy even in the middle of the day. Trash bags were piled at spots along the side, giving it a faint odor of decay and spoilage. Fire escape stairs and ladders hung against the sides of the buildings like forgotten metallic cobwebs just waiting to be knocked down.
The ground was slick where an earlier rain formed the occasional puddle. The smell of wet sidewalk mixed with the smell of garbage. If they had not been chased onto this street Mort would have turned around at the smell. As it was, they
