"Wh-what?" Julian squeaks. "I don't speak Italian!" He steals a glance over his shoulder, panic setting in as he sees the screeching horde closing the distance. Looking ahead again, he sees Alex running, but not fast enough. The boy's fists are pumping, his face a mask of grim determination, but his child's body simply can't keep up. Julian's legs aren't that much longer, truth be told, but he grabs Alex's hand and grips it tightly, towing the boy behind him as he makes for a group of nearby houses.
"Come on!"
The small neighborhood is dark, most of the residents of the semi-detached houses fast asleep in their beds. The houses are uniform, not much to distinguish one from the other, each with its own small back garden, a brick wall at the rear separating it from the alley.
Julian comes pounding down the alley, nearly dragging Alex over the rough bricks behind him. He stands there for just a moment, looking this way and that. He can hear the shouts of the hunters growing louder, their footsteps thundering as they round the corner. Quickly, Julian darts into the nearest house's back garden, hauling Alex along behind him.
All of the houses have a small garden shed in the rear corner of the garden, and this one is no exception. The shed is somewhat dilapidated, but it'll do. Julian urges Alex toward it, getting him in front and pushing him along.
"Quickly...in here!"
Inside it's pitch dark and damp. The air is musty and heavy with the smell of rotting wood and ancient petrol. Julian feels his way past the disused lawn mower and garden rakes, crawling into the very rear corner. There he takes refuge under an old workbench, its legs rough hewn and crooked. He flattens himself against the wall, panting, his eyes wide. He clutches Alex tightly, tensing at the sound of the hunters' voices just on the other side of the wall.