The Rumor Under the Overpass

He moved in the shadow under the bridge and found Luke outside a vending machine, smoking with two younger punks beside a beat-up delivery van plastered with food stickers. It looked like a shell built to hide a transfer. Ethan did not walk up immediately. He circled behind the pillar and pressed his palm to a metal service door. The sound inside was heavy, like a river locked in concrete. Luke reached out to hand over a small paper bag, then heard a sharp metallic ping above him. Ethan had kicked loose a damaged guard cable. A rusted steel line dropped from the bridge structure and slammed into the van roof with a shriek. The two punks looked up at once. Luke was already backing away. His instincts were better than theirs.