The cold rain hit my face like a dozen needles.

I landed in a puddle of muddy water, my knees stinging.

I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the carrier.

The alley was dark, lit only by the flickering amber glare of a streetlamp at the corner.

I ran.

The rain poured down in sheets, soaking through my thin uniform.

The weight of the twins pulled at my shoulders, but adrenaline kept my legs moving.

I slipped on the wet cobblestones, nearly losing my balance, but gripped the plastic handle tighter.

In my right hand, the heavy silver key bit into my palm.

I squeezed it until the metal edges cut into my skin.

I made it to the end of the alley and ducked behind a row of overflowing trash bins.

A black sedan sat idling at the curb, its headlights cutting through the downpour.

Men in dark overcoats were getting out of the vehicle.

They didn’t see me in the shadows.

I turned the opposite way, running down the narrow passage toward the street where my old Honda Civic was parked.