They dropped hard, hitting the ground with a pair of thuds, and then they hopped the fence behind the house, bolting into an alley. They ran for blocks, sprinted until their hearts were pounding and their lungs were aching and they were sure that they weren’t being followed, and then they finally stumbled to a stop in the middle of an empty parking lot, hunched over with their hands on their knees, panting.
A cold wind was blowing. When they could breathe normally again they stood back up, glancing at each other, and only then did they become fully aware that the squat had been raided by the police, and that they were now officially homeless. Neither of them had grabbed anything on the way out. Zoe was in underwear and a t-shirt. Jay had on a t-shirt and boxers. They were both barefoot, hadn’t even had time to throw on shoes. Everything they owned was back in the squat.
“Fuck,” Jay said.
A moment later rain began to fall.