The plaza stretched out in front of them, wide, cracked, and too quiet. The air felt thick and wrong the moment they stepped onto the lot, and then the smell hit all at once, rot and mildew tangled together with something sharp and chemical that burned at the back of their throats.
Seul lifted her sleeve to her nose, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the open space. Joon gagged and rubbed at his face.
"Jesus," he coughed. "Smells like a dumpster fire inside a slaughterhouse."
"It's worse than that," Seul muttered.
Jin didn't flinch, and he didn't slow down either. "Stay close," he said, already moving forward.
