MY SCOOTER IS good for most of the ride downtown, but off the main streets, it’s pretty useless. I sling it over my shoulder and start walking. Down here near the harbor, the air is even smokier. There’s a little breeze coming off the river, but it’s not exactly refreshing. More like a mixture of dead fish and wet garbage.
Maybe it’s just a coincidence that the sky is clouding over. There aren’t many people around, and the ones I can see are the type I keep my distance from. Definitely no eye contact. This whole place feels weird and spooky.
The kind of neighborhood you should never come to all alone. But here I am.
The first two warehouses I see are abandoned, doors torn off, windows broken, I’m sure people sleep here at nights when there’s no place else to go, but they’re taking a chance. Those brick walls look like they might cave in at any minute.
When I get to the last warehouse, I realize I’ve got nothing else to go on. No key. No secret password. I wonder if Poole has warned somebody that I was coming. I’m not sure whoever’s here will even let me in.
There’s only one door, smack in the middle of the side facing the river. It’s big and metal and covered with rust. There’s no intercom or bell. So I step up and knock—hard. I wait. Nothing. I knock harder.
This time, I hear a creaky sound from inside. The door starts to swing open. There’s a man behind it. I can see his frizzy hair silhouetted by the light from inside.
“Hey there,” I say. “I’m Maddy Gomes.”
For a few seconds, the guy doesn’t say anything. He just stares.
“Hello?” I say, waving my hands in front of his face, waiting for some response.
“I’ll be damned,” he says finally. “You actually exist.”