HOTSPOT

4

"Teddy!"

I silence her quickly, raising a finger to my lips. The slender young woman crouched behind the canvas is ashen with fright, brown eyes wide. Her arms are full of medical supplies. A shot rings out somewhere on the level above us.

"Lora. We have to get everyone out of here."

The medic nods, trembling. "The kids—there's a few of them still in here, hiding somewhere, or they ran up a level—and Jonathan, he can hardly move with that crippled leg—"

"I know." I grab her shoulders. "We'll figure it out. Anyone on this level?"

"A few. They pass through, checking the tents. James tried to take one of them by surprise but they shot—they shot him—"

I squeeze her shoulders, even though my head is spinning and the same tears that well up in her eyes are choking me. I have to be the one in control.

"Okay. We'll be alright, Lora. Ama is waiting outside through the back, she'll get people outside the fence and find them somewhere safe to hide. But I need your help."

She nods, taking deep, shuddering breaths. "Okay. Alright."

True to her word, someone I don't recognize rounds one of the tents, holding a handgun with deadly expertise. I watch as he kicks aside the tarp of a lean-to, pushing a foot into the heaps of blankets inside before moving on to the next one. With his back turned, I slip away from Lora, moving to hide beneath a tent just behind him. Then I straighten, pointing my rifle at him.

He hears the scrape of my boots on the concrete, whirling around just in time to send my shot whizzing into the metal pole next to him. He swears, trying to fire a shot off at me, but we're already in much too close quarters, so I swing my rifle around and catch him across the face with the butt end of it. His handgun skitters out of his grip, blood pouring from his nose like I've turned a faucet.

I lunge after him, pushing him to the ground and lifting my rifle again, ready to bash his skull into the concrete until it shatters. I'm blinded by crimson.

"Teddy!"

I barely hear Lora's warning shout through my rage, twisting just in time to avoid the slash of a blade. I snatch at the wrist behind it, feeling my skin catch on the edge of the knife and open up as they jerk away from my reach. Blood wells up and spills over the edge, pouring down to my elbow.

I leap up, grabbing their elbow and pushing them backwards, barely avoiding a thrust of the knife. My assailant crumples to the floor, already trying to get up. I plant a boot on his chest and shove him down, then whip my rifle towards him and send a round into his chest. He chokes on his own blood, eyes rolling up as I whirl to face the other man, still on the ground with blood streaming from his nose and lips. He raises a trembling hand, spluttering words through the blood on his teeth. Drops of crimson spray against the yellow parking guides painted on the floor.

I shoot him once in the throat, then empty the rest of my clip into his chest and stomach. The red haze doesn't fade until he stops twitching, and I back away, realizing the puddle of blood has spread to touch the toes of my boots.

Lora straightens slowly, eyes wide.

"Oh, god," she whimpers, a hand over her mouth. I look at the two corpses, adrenaline pulling behind my eyelids. Blood oozes from them, painting the garage floor black, spreading further than I thought it would. Nausea and a strange sense of pride battle each other in my stomach.

I did that.

I did that.

From behind one of the lean-tos, I hear a choking sob. I head towards it, then stop as someone appears from around the corner of it.

It's a young boy, maybe eight or nine. I've gone on scavenging trips with his mother.

Now, his eyes are huge as he stares at me. My chest heaves; the drip of blood from my elbow has trickled down to my hand.

"Hey, Malcolm," I say. "You're alright now. We're gonna help you, okay?"

I take a step towards him and he scrambles backwards. Lora hurries to my side, grabbing my shoulder and then releasing it with a flinch.

"Here, uh—let me try, Teddy." She kneels in front of him. "Hey, buddy. You're alright. Do you know where your mom is?"

He shakes his head, unable to take his eyes off of me. My skin crawls under his gaze, and suddenly I can feel the stickiness of the blood that coats me.

"Okay. We'll find her. I'm gonna take you outside to Ama, okay?"

He nods and she gets to her feet, taking his hand in hers. She glances at me.

"You're bleeding, Teddy."

My sweat burns in the open wound.

"I know. I'll deal with it when this is over."

She nods. "Okay. Be careful."

"Yeah. I'll see who else I can find."

"Alright. Careful on the lower level—you might have to sneak past some guards."

She looks down at the bodies once more and shivers, leading Malcolm out towards the ramp. I step over the man with the knife and move on.