Chapter 31

Nightfall settled over Scrapheap Town like a heavy, oil-slicked shroud. Jake pulled his car to a stop in front of the dilapidated structure of the orphanage, the engine giving one final, sputtering cough before dying. In the back, Specter remained silent, a heap of bones and resentment tucked away where the neighbors wouldn't see. Outside, the world was a chorus of distant sirens and the frantic barking of stray dogs echoing through the rusted industrial corridors. The orphanage doors were shut...