Chapter 14

Raincoat Man’s pace seemed to ebb and flow. Just as Ray thought she could catch him, he turned a corner and threatened to disappear. She thought her heart might burst inside her from fatigue and her Outsider steamed up from her breath heaving heavy. She had little time to get her bearings as she kept her eyes trained on Raincoat Man.

And then he stopped.

He stood on a small stoop outside a building that seemed to disappear into the clouds.

Ray backtracked around a corner of the building. Now that her pursuit seemed complete, the pounding in her ears turned from physical exhaustion to fear.

Raincoat man turned, unlocked a door and looked back over his shoulder. Ray was certain his dark eyes looked directly into hers. He proceeded into the building, leaving the door wide-open, banging hard against the weathered brick.

Ray followed.

Up, up, up a stairwell, each step hollowed by what must have been thousands of footsteps that came before. Landing after landing with no doors.

At first Ray concentrated on the Raincoat Man’s feet disappearing as he passed each landing. With no exit in sight, her mind wandered and wondered. What kind of building was this? Why no exits to individual floors? Who trafficked this building? She traveled so many floors, she almost forgot she was going somewhere.

The stairwell opened to the rooftop.

Ray heard what she at first thought was the static from a radio turned full volume. She covered her ears and stepped out into blinding light.

Her eyes adjusted slowly. First, the Raincoat Man’s silloette came into focus, surrounded by what seemed to be hundreds of dots bobbing around his feet. When those came into focus, Ray took a step back and stopped breathing.

“Keep your eye on the sparrow,” said Raincoat Man.

Ray exhaled so fast, her Outsider fogged up, leaving everything in a blurry haze again.

“Who are you?”

A voice came from behind her, “Taeden!”

Ray turned and saw Marla, one hand shielding her eyes, the other reaching for her.