At first Joshua didn't even recognize the change of scenery - instead of running through the Hedge's brambles, ignoring the tearing and ripping, he ran through the streets of Sacramento. He didn't stop running, however. Running seemed to be his second nature and he had to force his legs to stop moving.
Taking a few deep breaths, he looked back; his escape seemed blurry, like the memory of a nightmare he had. Did he do it? He couldn't tell how he got through the thorny maze mostly unharmed, but he couldn't keep on running for now either - the adrenaline rush that pushed him that far subsided and he leaned against some wall, trembling. Staring at the direction he came from, he slid down and finally sat on the street. His legs were shaking fiercely now and he burst out in silent tears of relief and exhaustion.
After several minutes his tears have dried and he felt enough strenght to carry on, to at least get out of plain sight. Besides, he wanted to look for the coffee-shop where the girl worked; he guessed he owed him that much.
Carefully he tried to make out where exactly he was and which direction he had to take, always ready to run away if something didn't seem right; his legs were tired and his feet hurt, but he wouldn't go back there. Ever.