The pain in his ankle, legs, and chest became overpowering. He staggered to a stop and flashed a look behind: the gang was less than twenty feet away. He gulped air and burst forward, as fast as he could go, putting everything he had into one final sprint to shake them off. He needed a plan, something to give him a break. What to do? He tried to think but his mind looped in panic, the urge to hunker in a doorway and give up pounding him in waves. He’d never see his mom again if he did that; he had to keep going.