The cold wind howled through the broken concrete walls, making the shadows dance like ghosts. Nikki pressed her back against Adonis's frozen, metal shoulder. Her heart was beating so fast and loud that she was sure the bad men could hear it.
WAAAH! WAAAH! The tiny baby tucked safely behind Adonis's giant, locked hand continued to cry. The poor little thing was cold and hungry, and its loud wails echoed through the quiet ruins.
"Over there," a nasty, rough voice sneered from the darkness. "Behind that pile of bricks."
Three men stepped out of the shadows and into the pale moonlight. They were Purist scavengers—greedy, angry men who survived by stealing from the weak. They were dressed in dirty, torn clothes and carried heavy metal crowbars and thick chains.
When the leader of the scavengers saw Adonis kneeling in the dirt, his greedy eyes lit up.
