Overshadowed

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Tayel ran through the undercity smog, her gas mask rattling with every breath. She smacked the filter cartridge, but the centimeter-wide hole in the tubing still hissed as she inhaled. Stupid thing. Pollution burned the back of her throat. She coughed, and Jace — huffing and puffing — sped up to reach her side. He grabbed the loose fabric of her jacket and pulled her forward. Together, they rounded the corner where the neon sign over the grocer’s mart flickered, dispersing light through the haze. One more block to Otto’s. Pick up the pace.

Bustling city denizens fresh off the after-work tram slowed them on the main street. The cacophony of rasping gas masks drowned out Tayel’s leak and pounding pulse. She gagged at the sour taste along her tongue. Nothing mattered more than the hope of fresh air. Fresh air, and safety.

Two more shops down, and there it was. Neon tubing spelled out “OTTO’S” in crooked letters above the shop, washing Tayel’s arm in green light as she reached for the door. She pushed inside, holding it open only long enough for Jace to hurry in after her.

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