Straight ahead a footpath curved through a grassy area beneath a highway overpass. The highway itself was high up and inaccessible. Present only as a single sound, like a weird electrical hum. The terrain was bleak and man-made. Grass areas sectioned with concrete walkways. Sharp-angled terra-formed berms edging the highway and railroad. This place was definitely cut off from town. Once out from under the highway overpass, the footpath broke into a residential area. Until then, I hadn’t seen a living soul. Now, in the distance, human figures moved. Beyond them Les Brosses.

Chapter Eleven

Each of the three buildings of Les Brosses was a replica of the others. A grassy park surrounded the housing complex. Footpaths were laid in, running through bushy landscaped areas and terra-formed bumps. Vapor light posts were distributed around the grounds. The lights were head-height and the effect was modern. There were benches. A few of them occupied by couples. The place wasn’t ugly either.

Les Brosses was situated with its back to the train tracks and highway. On the other side were cars and a road that ran right alongside all three buildings. I figured the backside was used by people walking into town, while the front accessed public transportation and personal vehicles.

I circled around. Spiraling closer to the buildings. There was nothing special going on. The park was well tended and the damp grass, herbs, and flowers smelled nice. A couple kissed on a bench. They didn’t even look up at me, which meant they felt safe. The buildings loomed closer. I cut over to the north side and then circled around to the edge of the last building. I watched some kids kicking a ball around. It was that time when parents and old people call it a night. The front door is locked. Children are put to bed. Stories are told, if the kids are lucky. Dishes are washed and put out to drain. TV sets blink on. Faces reflect the shimmer of moving images and light.

None of the kids kicking the ball had a broken wrist. They all had perfectly healthy bones.

So I moved on. Hoisted myself up into the plant bed and stepped through to a footpath. The middle building was set at a forty-five degree angle from the road, which was lifeless and lined with parked cars. More people were gathered close to the building. I sat down on a bench and watched. Thirty yards distant. Kids in several clusters. Talking with each other. Laughing, passing stuff around, like cigarettes and joints and cans of beer and a ball. I counted nineteen individuals. All military-aged. Adolescent or early twenties. Fifteen male and four female.

I waited. Maybe half an hour. Nothing happened. A few kids showed up, a few kids left. The group size stayed about the same. The voices grew louder. Those standing began to lean. Some sat down on a poured concrete bench. I watched.