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We edged closer. Under a threadbare blanket, an older man lay curled against the wall. His clothes were torn; his face was streaked with grime. When he tried to push himself up his hands trembled like leaves. He met my eyes for a moment, and there was both recognition and a strange, exhausted dignity in them.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease\u2026 help,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
My knees hit the cold cobblestones before I realized I\u2019d dropped to them. The man\u2019s breathing was shallow; his skin was cool to the touch. The dog \u2014 that persistent, uncanny guide \u2014 nosed the man\u2019s shoulder and whined, as if to say, I brought them. He pressed his body against the stranger, offering warmth and steadying presence.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s phone was already in his hand. \u201cI\u2019m calling an ambulance,\u201d he said, voice steady. The word felt small in that narrow space, but it was decisive.<\/p>\n
The man\u2019s lips moved around a name that drifted away on a cough: \u201cThey\u2019ll find me\u2026\u201d His words cut off into a ragged breath.<\/p>\n
From the far end of the alley came the heavy thump of footsteps. The dog\u2019s ears snapped up. He planted himself squarely between us and the sound, low warning barks vibrating in his chest.<\/p>\n
Two men came into view, moving with a practiced, predatory ease that immediately made our stomachs tighten. When they saw the man on the ground, their faces hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere he is,\u201d one of them said, like it was a settled matter.<\/p>\n
The old man flinched and clutched my sleeve, his voice barely more than a hiss. \u201cDon\u2019t let them take me back,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n