HOTSPOT

3

I pull Noah through the streets of San Francisco, heading back to the garage. My mind races—how well-armed are these people? How well-trained? Will we even stand a chance?

"Teddy."

"Not now, Noah, we're only a few blocks away."

"Teddy! Mutated!"

I stop in my tracks and whirl to look over my shoulder. Noah quakes where he stands, staring wide-eyed at the shambling creature down the street.

"Shit." I whip my rifle up to my shoulder, peering through the sights. The mutated rushes towards us, too far away to give me much of a look at it beyond the tattered remains of clothing and grey, warped skin. Its skull explodes in a burst of gore. I lower my rifle, ears ringing with the crack of the bullet, and grab Noah's shoulder.

"That'll definitely attract a horde. It's time to go."

I push him ahead of me, breaking into a sprint. A glance over my shoulder tells me that two more mutated have appeared around the corner, falling into a shambling run towards us.

"Can't we take them out?"

"They'll be followed by more." I shove Noah into the nearest building, a crumbling perfume store, and slam the door. "And I can't take on a horde alone."

"Alone? I'm here."

Something slams hard against the door. I throw my shoulder against it, waving the barrel of my rifle at the nearest table. Noah gets the hint, swiping ancient bottles of body spray off the surface before shoving his weight into it, pushing it slowly in front of the door. I back away, flinching as the table rattles. Then I turn to Noah as I hurry to the other side of the store, searching for a back door or a window.

"No offence, kid, but you're holding the gun all wrong."

"I am not—"

"You'd do more damage throwing it when those mutated come through that door."

"I—you think they're gonna come through the door?"

"Noah, how the hell have you even survived this long?"

The door shakes. Noah swings his pistol haphazardly in the direction of it, grip clumsy. I flinch, then reach forward to snatch it out of his hands.

"Okay, you're gonna hurt yourself with that." He opens his mouth to protest while I upturn a wooden chair and stomp on one of the legs, snapping it with a splintering crack. I swipe it off the ground and hand it to him. "Here, this'll work better."

"Teddy, the door—"

"I know." I head for the shelves, grabbing expensive glass bottles of perfume by the armload. Then I throw them at the floor beneath the barricade with as much force as I can muster, watching them shatter into glistening shards. Slick liquid coats the floor. The door splinters as something hits it hard, cracking inwards. I push Noah towards a window on the back wall.

"Smash that, Noah."

He adjusts his grip on the makeshift club I gave him before putting it squarely through the glass. I crouch on the floor, searching through my backpack. It should be here somewhere—I really need to organize this next time I'm not running for my life.

"Aren't you coming?"

"In a sec. Clear the rest of the shards from the sill and hop through, Noah."

"Not without you."

I bite back a groan. The door shudders once more, an acid-burned hand clawing through the gap it's created. My hand closes around a small cardboard box and I throw my backpack back over my shoulder, not bothering to zip it up. I fumble for a match, striking it in a flare of light. The air is thick with the smell of peach and cinnamon and strawberries, burning the inside of my lungs.

The door gives one last shuddering protest before mutated tumble in. I stand my ground, getting a look at grey, chemical-burned skin that sags off the skeletons holding them up. The creatures shriek, stances wide to keep their balance as they fall over one another in an attempt to get at me.

I toss the lit match at their feet. The floor erupts. The rush of burning flesh and chemical perfumes hits me in a wave as the mutated screech in pain, stumbling blindly as flames latch onto their tattered clothes and lick at what's left of their skin. I scramble backwards, rushing towards the window. Noah is still standing there, light of the fire reflecting in his wide eyes like he's a deer in headlights. I shove him.

"Let's go, Noah!"

He fumbled to get through the window, pulling himself gracelessly over the sill and hard onto the ground outside. I scramble through without much more elegance, landing heavily after scraping myself along the remaining shards of glass. I pull Noah down the street, not falling out of my headlong dash until the scream of the mutated is long behind us.

"Shit. Shit, we wasted so much time." I whirl in a circle, breathing hard. Which way is the garage from here? "They could have reached us already. I have to get back."

There's the street. I hurry towards it, breaking into a run. My heart thuds in my chest.

The car park appears at the end of the street just as someone barrels into me, hitting me full force. I see them coming out of the corner of my eye just in time to wrap my arms around the fleeing person, digging my feet into the ground against their momentum. Our gazes meet.

"Ama?"

"Teddy!" She sets the child she was carrying on the ground and throws her arms around me. I return the embrace for a second, then separate from her, putting my hands on her shoulders.

"Ama. What's going on?"

She reaches for the child she was holding in her arms. It's a toddler—I recognize the kid, even with her grubby, tear-stained cheeks. She latches on to Ama like she's a lifeline.

"We're being attacked. I tried to find Maddy's parents but there was no time and I couldn't see them anywhere, so I tried to get her somewhere safe first—"

"Ama." I give her shoulders a squeeze, trying to stay calm even though my stomach is in my throat. "Who were we attacked by?"

"I don't know. There's a lot of them. They have guns." Her voice quivers. "They broke through the fence."

"Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck." I struggle to control my breathing, blood roaring in my ears. "The others?"

"I don't know. There's a lot of us still in the garage. Everyone's either trying to fight or run."

"Okay. We have to get everyone out of there who can't hold their own."

"I can't leave Maddy."

Ama notices my companion for the first time.

"Who's this?"

"This is Noah." I take one of Maddy's small hands in mine, leading her over to him and crouching in front of her. "Maddy, honey, Noah's gonna stay with you until we find your mom and dad, okay? Don't leave him."

She's too scared to protest, eyes glassy with tears. I connect her hand with Noah's, who doesn't argue, even though he looks panic-stricken.

"Noah, you're going to find somewhere to hide with her. Don't you dare show yourself until me or Ama comes to find you, okay?"

He nods, lower lip trembling.

"Did you have a chance to grab a weapon?" I ask Ama. She shakes her head, hands clenched and trembling.

"No. It all happened too fast."

"Okay. You can use the kid's pistol. Noah, that's fine with you, right?"

I hand it to her before he can answer. Her grip is white-knuckled and quivering, but she loads it with a precise confidence I've come to expect from her. Almost immediately, she seems to steel herself, drawing her shoulders back even though her chin trembles.

I sling my rifle out in front of me, finger on the trigger.

"Okay. Let's go."