Page 18

Two people walk by.  They make a clear effort to not look in her direction.
“Her name was Karlie.”
Elle jumps, screams and spins around.  Kinzie is standing calmly and putting some electronic parts into her bag.  She closes the bag and looks up.  “What?  Aren’t you used to people talking to you from behind?”
“You scared me.”  Elle inhales slowly.
“Obviously.  Come on, we've got other stops to make.”  Kinzie leads them down more alleys.
They come to a fenced off area.  Kinzie signs, /Wait./  She climbs and slides over the fence, landing quietly.  On the other side, she knifes open some garbage bags and rummages through the contents.
When she hops back over the fence, she hands Elle her bag.  “Trade you.”
They swap bags and walk away from the area quickly.
“You carry a knife too?”  Elle asks.
“Course.  Just not so obvious.”
“Wait.  Who is Karlie, again?”
“Was.  My friend Karlie.  Met her a couple years ago.  Didn't know where she'd come from.  Knew how to sign already, though.  Didn't have to teach her.  Shit.”
Elle looks around.  “What?”
“They put a new padlock on the gate.”  Elle points at another fenced in area that has razor wire on the top.  “The old one was easy to pick.  This one looks gritty.  Let's skip this one today.”