When they finally got out onto the empty street, the unnatural fall heat slammed into them. In the light of the single street-lamp over their heads and the hazy glow coming from inside the bar, Maria could see how dilated Delilah’s pupils were. Her entire body was trembling. This wasn’t how Delilah usually acted after a line of oxy.

Maria’s heart sped up again. What was in those capsules?

“All right,” Maria said. Delilah had gone limp, her entire body sagging against her, her sweat making her slippery where she clung to Maria. She dropped her purse. Maria grabbed it, wound the strap back over Delilah’s arm, and heaved her up as well as she could. For a second she thought about going back into the bar and asking the tattooed guys for help, but the fewer witnesses the better. “Let’s go.”

Delilah nuzzled her face into Maria’s ponytail. “Your hair is so soft. It’s so pretty. You’re so pretty, Maria. It’s not fair.”

“Uh-huh.” Maria took a step forward, but it was hard with Delilah dragging her back.

“I can see every single hair,” Delilah said. “They’re like little tiny snakes. I can see every single molecule. I can feel every molecule of the air, Maria. Can you feel it?”

“Yep.” Maria didn’t want to listen to Delilah talking about snakes in her hair. She unwound Delilah’s arm and pushed her face away. “Look, I need you to walk. We’ve got to go.”

“Okay.” Delilah was all smiles now. “Where are we going?”

“Back to campus.”

“Yay!” Delilah skipped ahead. Suddenly she had more energy than she’d had all night. Well, at least she wasn’t staring at Maria’s hair anymore.

She waited until Delilah turned around, then took the red-and-yellow ends of the empty pill capsule, plus the unopened capsule she hadn’t used, out of the front pocket of her purse, sliding them neatly into the lining of Delilah’s purse instead.

Tomorrow. Maria repeated the word in her mind like a mantra. This would all be worth it tomorrow.

Ahead of her, Delilah stopped in her tracks, her eyes fixed on something in front of them. Maria put a hand on her back to push her forward. Delilah fell into step with her, but her stare didn’t break.

“Do you see it?” Delilah whispered.

“See what?”

“The air. There are cords in the air. Ropes. Tying the air all together. We have to cut them, Maria. We have to save the air.”

“Uh-huh.” Maria was getting anxious again, but Delilah was moving. That was what mattered.

“We have to, Maria. We have to save the air, or else we’ll die. We’ll choke. The cords will crawl down our throats and wrap around our lungs and we’ll be dead, dead, dead.”

“Right,” Maria said. “Just keep walking.”

“Unless we’re already dead. Do you feel dead, Maria?”