Chapter 8:
The trip back to Boston was not easier for her. Despite the weight of responsibility of the black box left behind her, she worried about what waited on the pier and in the shape of the city as a whole.
Choices needed to be made. She did not need to return to Long Wharf. There were places closer to Tituba’s home north of Boston Common, but the need to find out if Hooper survived the rat attack overwhelmed the need for safety. If she reached the wharf, and it still swarmed with rats, she could always back off and find a better place to come ashore.
The fires still burned in the city. The plumes of smoke didn’t diminish. However, the gunfire and sounds of battle had subsided. From this distance, she couldn’t spot any of the flying buganoids. That had to be a good sign.
As it st
