The city in the dead of night was completely transformed. The lively, bustling place it was during the day had vanished. Now, it felt empty and lonely, like a skeleton made of shadows and silence. Ace and his friends moved through these deserted streets carefully, like scared animals hiding in ruins. Their senses were on high alert, jumping at the sound of a car engine in the distance or any movement in the dark. The little bit of cash they had in their pockets felt useless, like a paper shield against the powerful, unseen enemy that was hunting them.
Silva, with his knowledge of the city's hidden places, was their guide. He didn't take the main roads. Instead, he led them through a confusing network of back alleys, across empty fields taken over by weeds, and past the giant, silent shapes of closed-down factories. The air changed as they walked, becoming heavier and smelling of dampness, the foul sweetness of the nearby river, and the sharp odor of old, rusting metal.
