Agents, Junior Agents, and the everyday citizen stood outside—weapons clenched in their hands: such as lances, guns, spears, and even metal pipes. They paced around attentively and scanned the alleyways and the streets. Some would occasionally make eye contact with Jioni, but she retreated her gaze. Her stomach pitted into a tight coil.
Jioni couldn’t help but feel guilty; she rubbed her arms as she walked by. Screams and whistles rang in the distance—which prompted her to pep her step. Her stroll turned to a fearful sprint when the dreaded dog whistle sound came nearer. It rang and echoed in her one good ear: unsure what direction it was even coming from.
She stumbled onto the uneven pavement as she escaped. The moon and stars didn’t provide nearly enough light, and the streetlamps had been out of commission for years. Jioni dug in her satchel for the flashlight, and it wasn’t there. Her stomach hollowed out.
