Chapter 10
The following Tuesday arrived with a thick, choking fog that clung to the industrial district, muting the sounds of the city and turning the brick warehouses into looming, ghostly silhouettes. Leo and Toby walked briskly through the damp chill, their breath pluming into white clouds in front of their dirt-smudged faces. The anticipation of the warm food and the safe harbor of Arthur’s presence was the only thing that had kept them going through a brutal, freezing night spent in an abandoned shipping container.
They turned the final corner onto the narrow street beside the shoe store, expecting to see the bright green and purple paint of the food truck cutting through the gray fog.
Instead, the curb was completely empty.
Leo stopped dead in her tracks. Toby bumped gently into her back, looking up with bleary, tired eyes. The space where the truck always idled was bare, save for a few scattered wrappers and a dark oil stain on the cracked asphalt. No low hum of the generator. No plume of white smoke from the chimney. No bearded face looking out from the service window.
"Where is he?" Toby asked, his voice catching on a sudden wave of panic. He gripped Leo’s hand so hard her fingers went white.
Leo didn't answer immediately. A cold, heavy stone dropped straight to the pit of her stomach. She walked forward slowly, stepping up to the empty curb as if hoping the truck might materialize if she got close enough. The brick wall behind the spot was cold and silent. Arthur wasn't there.
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"Maybe he's just late," Toby suggested, his voice small and desperate, trying to convince both of them. "Maybe the engine broke down or something."
Leo stood frozen, the silence of the empty street pressing in on them from all sides. For the first time since they had started wandering the city, a profound wave of isolation washed over her. It wasn't just about the food or the free sandwiches; it was the realization that the one reliable anchor in their chaotic existence had vanished without a trace. Her hand drifted automatically to her pocket, her fingers closing tightly around the red leather wallet, feeling the hard, unyielding edges of the coins inside. They were truly on their own again.
