Slimy fear courses through me, touching everything, down to the tips of each limb. Hugo mentioned it in the club. No shiny banisters allowed. “Impasse de Valmy.”

“Yes, have you been? Oh—!” Chang pivots into a deep doorway and waves me in quick. I leap in and make myself as flat as possible against a glass wall covered in flyers. The smell of urine is thick. A walkie-talkie radio sputters a message around the corner. Footsteps approach, several pairs of feet, one less steady than the other.

“Allez-y.” A car door opens nearby. Not breathing, I lean forward and catch a uniformed man ushering a woman in dirty layers of clothing into the back seat of his car. POLICE NATIONALE is visible on the side. They’re already rounding up people, anyone who is outside, including the homeless. Which explains why the streets have been so empty. The engine starts, then fades into the distance. Chang nods to me. We continue on, unspeaking, moving quickly across the parts of sidewalk pooled in light.

The mile we walk seems longer than it should, but I welcome the physical distraction. My feet ache in my worn sneakers, but each step forward is invigorating. It’s a relief when Chang points across a large intersection. “Just around that corner.”

We dash to the other side when a spotlight floods the square. “Arrêtez!” a man’s voice bellows. “Arrêtez! Police!” Chang sprints behind a stone monument with me on her heels, along with the quick steps of a cop. She pulls left, charging onto a narrow road opposite the museum. A cramp splits up the side of my ribs, but I dig deep and round the corner. Arms reach out and yank me into another doorway. Adrenaline floods my brain and I shove, but the arms don’t give. The policeman’s footsteps breach the corner, and a uniform goes flying past, farther down the street. The arms release, and I look down to see Chang’s grimace.

“You do strength training, too?” I hiss. She shakes her head with a finger to her lips. Voices carry from the left.

“See the large tree opposite the bank?” Chang motions for me to look, carefully. We’re in the hood of a jewelry store doorway and awning. Frosted glass doesn’t allow us to see inside or anyone to see us through the glass walls from around the corner. I peek into the street. An oak tree with a thick trunk surveys the commercial neighborhood.

“I see it. Two men are standing next to it.”

Chang curses in French. “Then we’re done for.”