[ WP ] Oxygen is scarce . The US government has imposed a curfew ; you do n't want to be stuck outside after dark .

*Deep breath*, I thought before putting my hand on the door handle. 
 
 Sarah's house was right across the street, but the thought of holding my breath that long was already giving me a headache. I pressed my nose to the glass pane, leaving a small circle of fog where my mouth should be. 
 
 *You've done this plenty of times. Just do n't get caught*, I said to myself, counting the number of steps in my head. 36. 36 steps until I reach her door. It was plenty dark and there were no Suits on the street. Easy. Just like it always is. 
 
 I craned my neck up to see past the window's frame, to look up at the night sky. There was always some sort of glare on the dome overhead. It was distracting. The metal beams that acted as scaffolding for the glass also did a great job of blocking out the moon. This was a blessing and a curse. You barely ever saw the moon anymore. When you did, it was like looking through a waffle iron. But it made the street even darker than it ought to be, so I did n't complain. 
 
 *Deep breath* 
 
 After a sharp inhale, I opened my door and stepped outside. I do n't think i'll ever get used to the feeling in the air ( or lack thereof ) after curfew. It was an unsettling stillness that muffled sounds and made you feel alone, even if you really were n't. 
 
 Tonight, I was most certainly not alone. 
 
 By the time I made it to the hedges at the end of my driveway, I noticed a flash of light out of the corner of my eye, which sent me skidding to my ass behind the mailbox. I perched up on the balls of my feet and peeked through the leaves towards where the flsah had come from. Judging by the plastic yellow encasing of the individual maybe 1000 feet from my location, I did n't even have to think twice as to who or what it could be. 
 
 *Shit. Suits. * 
 
 Suits, or CEAs, were Curfew Enforcement Agents. They made sure that no one was sneaking out late at night after the government enforced curfew. You'd think, with the lack of oxygen, it would be completely unnecessary, but people still had access to O2 tanks these days. CEAs always wore these ugly ass yellow suits that acted as space suits, in a way. The oxygen tanks on their backs were a shiny chrome and a dead giveaway. Not very stealthy. But with semi-automatic rifles at their hips, they could afford lack of stealth. 
 
 This observation took a total of.7 seconds, just enough time for my heart rate to increase, making my blood-oxygen level drop dramatically. I had to make a decision and fast. 
 
 I rolled back on my heels and sat down on the grass. He had n't seen me. His back was to me, which is why the glare from his O2 wank was so bright. I could either go back inside or risk crossing the street. 
 
 At that exact moment, the Suit turned in my direction and began walking.
