The sun was beginning to move below the skyscrapers, casting faint shadows on the street. With the way that the city was constructed, sunlight was only cast on the street between noon and two. My eyes instinctively squinted against the rays. It was still hard to get used to natural light.

We wandered out and down the street for a few minutes in silence, Alden leading the way as though he had the streets mapped out in his mind. Now and then, when a drone would go by, we would feign action, such as picking up an old trash bag and tossing it further down an alley. When nothing was around, we’d aimlessly wander toward a random house as though going back inside. Once it passed and deemed us clear, we’d come back together and continue walking. The further into the city’s center we got, the more common drone sightings were. 

About seven minutes into our walk, a loud buzzing once again sounded over our heads. With the heavy systems the drones carried around, and the amount of information they processed, they made a lot of noise, sometimes deafening if they were right overhead. The whole city buzzed with them, and it was a constant background noise. Nonetheless, you could always tell when one was headed your way.

We immediately split up. As quickly as possible, I snatched a garbage bag from the side of a crumbling concrete house, dragging it down an old alley. It reeked of pure trash and decomposition to the point where even covering my nose in my shirt was futile. It was bad enough to make my head spin. Nevertheless, I pushed onward as the buzzing of the drone got closer and closer. 

Then something touched my ankle.

Holding back a shriek, I immediately retracted my foot from the pile of garbage, dropping the bag I’d picked up beside me. In a panic, I tumbled backward, my eyes frantically searching through the holes in my headset for whatever it was that touched me. Bile rose in my throat, and my stomach did a sickening flip as I realized what it was.

A blueish human hand.

It was half-buried in trash, meaning anything that remained of the rest of the body was out of sight. Purple collected at the fingertips, slowly fading to blue and, eventually, disappearing altogether. Tears dug into the flesh near the palm, revealing the dark brown muscle beneath. Drool began to form in the back of my throat as my body threatened to spit up the hamburger from earlier. Without even checking to ensure the drone was gone, I booked it down the alley without a second thought.

A human body…I’d just seen a human body, and I’d seen it up close. On my previous walk, I’d seen them from afar, slumped over trash bags or tossed behind boxes, but I’d never had one touch my foot before! My nausea only intensified, and my knees threatened to buckle. My thoughts swam in violent circles.

Finally, I managed to push out into the road. Link, Craven, Fickle, and Alden had congregated a few houses down, leaning against the wall as they waited for me. Luckily, the drone was long past. I don’t know what I’d do if it caught me. Forcing down the bile in my throat, I slowed my pace and approached them as though nothing were wrong. They probably saw things like this on the daily. I didn’t want to appear weak.

“Oh, you finally made it.” Alden turned to face me. “Where were you? We figured you’d pop right back out after the drone left.”

“I, uh, got a bit too into my role, I suppose.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets to hide their shaking. “Wandered too far down the alley.”

“I see.” He stared at me for a moment before shrugging. “I suppose best to be too careful than too careless. Come now.” He went to turn away, though I hesitated to follow. My legs felt like mush, and the bile was returning.

“Hey, Alden.” It was Link.

The orange-haired ruffian was leaning against the brick house, trying to look nonchalant, though through the small holes in his mask, I could see awkwardness alight in his eyes. He shuffled his feet before crossing his legs and clearing his throat. It was odd to see him so reserved and uncomfortable. 

“Yes?” Alden glanced back over his shoulder. 

“Ya mind if I take the night off?” Before anyone could speak, he rushed to add more. “I know I just took one off the other week, and I know I ask for time off a lot, and I know ya’re real into ya plans and all that, but I’ve got this real pretty girl that I’m supposed to be taking on a date tonight. She’d be real disappointed if I didn’t show up, and I don’t want to disappoint a pretty dame.”

My head was beginning to spin. 

“You’ve got another woman?” Fickle looked at Link as though he’d sprouted two heads. “You just broke up with that other one last week! And since when have you been worried about disappointing a girl?”

Drool was pouring into my mouth. 

“This one’s a real looker, Fickle, promise. She’s prettier than any girl I’ve ever seen before, and her father’s got a hand in the chocolate imports. With her on my side, I’d be eatin’ good sweets for weeks!” His eyes shimmered. “Ya’ve gotta let me have tonight off, Alden. Do me a favor, and I’ll do ya three more?”

I clenched my fists in my pockets to distract my mind. Wait, where was my hamburger? Aww, I must’ve dropped the thing in the alley…Ugh, the sound of food made me even more nauseous. 

“I believe you’ve given me this proposition before, and if I took each one, you’d be hundreds of favors in debt.” The blonde cracked a smile. “I was going to tell the others that arriving isn’t mandatory tonight. I’ve got some business of my own to attend to regarding the plans, so go on and have your fun. Just don’t lead this one on too much, alright? I wouldn’t want another girl wailing about how you broke her heart in a few days.”

Please, don’t buckle, knees. Please, don’t buckle…

Every ounce of his previous awkwardness had vanished, replaced by his usual jovial self.  “Oh, Alden, ya’re the best!” He leapt forward and pulled the blonde into a tight hug, towering over him as he rocked him back and forth. “Ya’re the best, the real best. I’ll pay you back for this, Alden, my buddy, I promise.” Once the boy was half motion-sick, Link leapt off and sprinted down the street, hands waving frantically as he went. “And I told ya, this one’s different than the others! I think she’ll get a week outta me!”

The whizzing of a nearby drone snapped him back into focus, and his hands immediately dropped to his side as he vanished down the street, an orange blob against the gray horizon.  

And I threw up all over the sidewalk.