Cold and wet, Justin lay shivering beneath a piece of soggy cardboard, the stench of rotting garbage and cat piss all round him. Even the stink wasn’t enough to stop the hollow growling of his stomach, and after trying for nearly an hour to fall asleep, he gave up and climbed to his feet, slicking the rainwater back out of his face. Grabbing his tattered knapsack, he slung it over one shoulder and shuffled down the alleyway, checking the cans and dumpsters as he passed, but all he found was garbage and rats, and he wasn’t hungry enough to risk eating one of those filthy creatures. Not quite yet, anyway.

At the end of the alley, he paused and peered out at the dark, wet street. The last thing he wanted to run into was a group of bored Diablos, the demon-run gang notorious for putting homeless folk in the hospital, or worse—the morgue. Not quite as bad, but no less inconvenient, would be the cops. He’d been grabbed off the street by a well-meaning officer on more than one occasion, and the warmth of a jail cell was small compensation for the hassle. Not to mention that jail food was barely a notch above anything he might find in a dumpster.

The street seemed clear, and after a moment, Justin sauntered out onto the sidewalk, trying to appear casual, but with a destination in mind. Sneaking made people suspicious, as did hurrying or lingering. It was hard not to duck into the shadows, especially as a car turned onto the street. Justin kept his head down and continued walking, cold rainwater dripping from his hair and running down his face, waiting for the car to pass by so he could cross the street and seek shelter in another alleyway.

He was nearly to the corner and the car still had not driven by. Annoyed, he glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see the vehicle parked behind him. His heart nearly stopped at the sight of the long, black town car pacing him, the headlights turned off. His first instinct was to run, but curiosity prevented him from fleeing into the night. He didn’t imagine that anything good could be sitting inside that car, but he wanted to be sure. He stopped walking and after a moment, the opaque back window rolled down. The interior was dark, revealing nothing of …