I could have used a flashlight or a phone, but I didn't have any of those things either. I walked around the back of the first building and peered inside one window. It was empty.
The second building was filled with apartments. At least twenty families lived there. Some were playing board games in front of their doors. Others sat together on plastic chairs in the courtyard. Most of them were eating dinner.
I didn't see Leah and Lucy anywhere.
By now my arms ached from carrying the backpack. I put it down beside me. It wasn't getting lighter outside. Maybe I should have given the food to someone earlier. But then again, maybe I shouldn't have been trying to help anyone. Besides, I thought, I still had money for snacks.
My stomach growled loudly. I tried not to think about how hungry I w
