LORETTA

The sky gave way to darkening clouds, just like my determination was giving way to deep, bone-chilling fear.

The taxi drove past gleaming condos and polished office blocks. The farther we went, the more the city seemed to...change.

I haven't gotten this far before, never had a reason to.

Fine blocks of building became sparse, giving way to aging apartment complexes with cracked balconies and peeling paint.

The boutique and cafes all disappeared, replaced by pawn shops, liquor stores, and boarded-up storefronts. The roads grew rough beneath the tires.

Every pothole jolted the taxi hard enough to rattle my teeth and bones, and with each passing street, it felt...