25
- 25 -
The buildings changed as the afternoon cooled. They still showed signs of age, but there was less decay. Doors were in place and windows and shutters fitted. Repairs had been carried out—tiles scavenged from other buildings, fresh brickwork in places, drainpipes fashioned from a variety of pipes.
Water fell from the sky. Not rain so much as a persistent dampness. The paving beneath his feet was bright with moisture, and the air tasted fresh. Fresher than the desolation around the tunnel.
And he was being watched. There was movement behind windows. A figure darted from the rear of a house, racing parallel to the road Rodin trod, no doubt warning others of the imminent arrival of a stranger.
There was no attempt to stop him, and no attack. The people remained hidden. Biding
