Chapter 18

He was bleeding again, and one of the broken ribs seemed to have moved. I already didn’t care much about the pain; it was part of that particular day-to-day life.

“Stay away from the gate, Mirko. Come with me,” I asked him, making space for him next to me.

“It stinks like hell in here,” he said, wrinkling his snout in disgust.

“I know, but it’s better than walking, right?”

I rocked Sasha a bit, who was hysterical.

“You should have told me you were going to do something like that,” Mirko complained, and approached dragging my daughter’s backpack. He had both ears drawn back and his tail bristled with fright under his sweater. “What’s the plan now?”

“Get off before reaching the first station we see.”

“At least here it doesn’t rain and there is no wind. In this corner, I mean.” He sat with me and unzipped his bag to take out a pair of socks to wrap his feet in. He snuggled into his stained sweater and wrinkled his nose again. “My sister got dir