Page 65 of Her Sloth

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“Cass, you have two more,” says Ahmed. “Coming from 42nd and Park. You can’t do Manhattan or Williamsburg. They’re closing down exits.”

“On it,” she says. “I’ll take them downtown.”

“Don’t,” I say. “I’ll join you. Downtown can lock down too fast. Let’s take it Uptown.

“You don’t tell me what to do in my hood,” she says.

I roll my eyes.

“Cass, get your fucking ass Uptown, or I am going to kick it there. This is not a one-woman show; it’s teamwork.”

“Oh, so you are the one to lecture me now?” she snaps at me. “This is my family. My idea. My plan.”

The last part hits me very hard, so of course I shoot back at her, not caring that everyone can listen to our little discussion.

“And you wouldn’t be anywhere with your plan without me.”

“Of course, because we are nothing compared to wonderful, amazing Addy, the one and only, gifting us with her elitist presence,” says Cass with such a sneer in her voice that her disgust radiates through all of the city over me.

“You know what,” I say. “Go fuck yourself.”

With that, I tap on the intercom to disconnect.

I am fuming as I make my way through the city block by block. There is no getting out right now, so disappearing and blending in is it.

My phone rings.

Jackson.

“What?” I ask, annoyed.

“She’s too proud to tell you, but she’s not gonna make it. They’re closing down FDR, bridges, and tunnels, all of them, scattering across the exits.”

“Where is she?”

“Five blocks in front. You have a five-second window to divert them, then it’ll close down.”

“Where did they close FDR?”

“Six blocks, no one is moving through downtown.”

I check the map.

“Delancey free?” I ask.

“Incoming, three minutes, max.”

“Send her down the right into Delancey. I’ll take on her underneath the bridge. We’re going back into the city.”

I speed there myself, drift around the corner, into Delancey Street; there I block the one-way, and wait. Waiting, being still, feels fundamentally wrong, and my body wants to move. It takes all my control.

Then Cass drifts around the corner.

Our eyes meet for one sec.

And then she is gone underneath the bridge and takes the lane on the opposite side of the bridge.