I also noticed every hundred feet or so a well-hidden camera blinking from the walls. Hard to see if you weren’t looking for them. I figured most everyone was looking for them. It wouldn’t be hard to observe everyone on the ground, the buildings were so close together there weren’t many open spaces to hide. There wasn’t even so much space as to let a bike pass. Two people could barely be comfortable walking abreast. I felt very claustrophobic after having grown up among the vast expanses of air. A few people ran by me as it descended into night, dressed in strange clothes I didn’t really understand the use of. Once the alleys descended into pitch darkness I truly became scared. I knew I had to keep moving, sleeping would only end with something terrible happening. Luckily, the city truly came alive with my kind of people at night. People walking by selling things of dubious quality to other people, the few open spaces were dominated by raves, most people wearing masks.

It felt extra strange to pass through those. I was obviously from out of town, feeling so out of place and looking the part too. My baggy clothes looked to be years out of style among the sleek bodysuits of most people I saw. I was quickly lost. Without a map and the barest approximation of light coming from my bracelets, everything blended together. I found myself going in circles.

A few streets from the same rave I had passed through three times already, I came across one of the most fateful people of my life. At first I couldn’t make out what they looked like, so I pulled a light from my backpack to get a better look. In the better light, they stopped and seemed to stare at me. I couldn’t exactly tell. They were obviously a woman at a closer look. Her orange hair was buzzed close to the scalp. She was tall with broad shoulders and muscular legs. It was obvious why I hadn’t been able to tell that she was indeed a woman without light. It looked like she had a square jaw under her mask, but I couldn’t really tell. Said mask was the focal point of her appearance. It covered her whole face and a strap looped around the back of her head. The screen on the front was geometric to fit the planes of her face, and flashed through numerous images of faces of people that looked like an AI recreation of a human. With it on, it was impossible to tell who she was or what she was feeling.

Not helping her murderer vibes was her outfit, a white tank top ripped down the sides and baggy yellow cargo pants, each pocket seeming to have at least one item in it. She carried a baseball bat, something I very rarely saw. There was no space to play baseball where I was from, and I doubted there was space here. It was only ever used as an unconventional weapon. “What do you want,” she said, more a statement than a question, her alto voice modulated to give it a waver. “Nothing, nothing,” I said with a strained smile. “Why aren’t you inside?” she asked. This time it was a question. She lifted her mask up a bit to reveal her mouth. Her jaw was indeed square. “Am I supposed to be?” I fired back.

“You’ll get arrested. Curfew and all.” She changed the bat to her right hand. Adrenaline started rushing through my body, telling me to tackle her or run. One or the other. “Is that why everyone’s wearing masks?” I asked, even though I knew it was a stupid question. I wanted to stall her while I thought of an escape route. “You’re not from around here, are you?” She asked. “Are you going to hurt me?” She looked around at the featureless walls. “I must look like I’ve done too many drugs, with the bat and the hair and all. Do you have somewhere to go?” I shrugged my shoulders. She looked up at the wall. I did as well. As I studied it, I noticed a small pinhole camera a few feet from us.

“I’m not going to beat you to death, if you were wondering. Got this for that,” she said, sliding a small taser slightly out of her pocket. Her mouth curved into a sadistic smile. “I’m not convinced,” I said wryly. Long shadows stretched behind her as my light dimmed. It needed a recharging. I’d used it too much on the train. “It’s for… You know. Can’t say. Not you.” I still didn’t quite believe her. But I would rather take my chances with her than with my dimming light and the endlessly winding streets. Plus, she probably knew her way around. “How far is your place?” I asked. “Not far. I was going to go to a rave, show off my new ‘fit, but it’s probably too late for that anyways.” She shrugged. I noticed that her bra strap was visible under her shirt. Like her pants, it was neon yellow.

“Okay. Just don’t electrocute me.” Without another word, she turned around and motioned for me to follow. I shut off my light and found that there were some lights woven into her platform boots to light her path. She moved quicker than I expected, and I nearly had to jog to keep up with her. Within five minutes and numerous turns we arrived at an old building that was some obscene graffiti short of being a squatter’s domain. I didn’t judge so long as I didn’t die. She led me inside and up three flights of stairs to the fourth floor. The elevator at the bottom had an out of order sign plastered across the doors. The button was ripped out, leaving raw wires hanging. The tech of the whole thing looked old.

On the fourth floor were a couple apartments. She took me inside one and flicked the lights on. The common room was small. There was one bathroom and two bedrooms. It looked to be well taken care of, with nothing being too out of order. There were three blankets strewn across the couch. She pulled her mask all the way off her face and it shut off, leaving a black expanse. Her eyes were sharp green and serious, looking mature beyond her years and her partying. “I have a roommate, but he’d sleep through nuclear annihilation if I let him so he’s no worry.” I nodded, trying to take in both her and her apartment. Despite my recent romantic escapades, or perhaps because of them, she made my heart flutter. “Why are you here?” She turned to me. My stomach turned. “Looking to get away,” I said, trying to not give away too much. She dropped the bat unceremoniously on the ground.

“Bad place to get away to,” she replied, pulling her cargo pants off to reveal black biker shorts. I instinctively looked away, heat rising in my cheeks. I wanted to make a flirty comment, but decided not to against my better judgement. My gut said she wasn’t into girls. “I didn’t know. Never paid attention in school. Just wanted to leave,” I said. “Always been too focused on my own city’s issues.” “You seem like a Floating City type,” she said as she draped the pants over the back of the couch. “They’ve always got too many issues with their own city to focus on anyone else.” I must have given a sheepish look because she responded with a raised eyebrow.

“Right on the dot,” I said. “I’m Arya. I’m glad you haven’t tazed me.” I extended a hand for her to shake. She pushed it away. “Nice to meet you, Arya. Don’t tell anyone else your real name.” She was making it even more apparent how little I knew about living elsewhere. “But I suppose I’ll respond in kind. My real name’s Florence.”