The moment Beth turned the key, several things happened at almost the same time.
The handle was pulled from her hand, and the door opened. Burt barreled into her, propelling her against the wall on the corridor's other side.
From the right, Leo rammed Burt. Both men fell to the ground and started wrestling with each other.
The impact against the wall almost made Beth drop Hope. The child screamed as she caught her. She pulled her close, using her arms to keep her safe.
Beth stroked the baby's fine hair, appalled by the distress she had caused.
Leo got onto his knees while Burt sat up.
Hope's screams turned to sobs.
Leo shook his head as if trying to find his bearings. "Hope?" he said.
"She's okay." Suppressing an impulse to hand the child to her father, she bit her lips and pointed her gun at him instead. "Burt, I've got his daughter and the gun. And Leo, I won't hesitate to use them both... for whatever."
The words had a false ring to them. Would Leo hear it?
But the gang member took a step back from her, holding up his hands. "Just stay calm. I'll do what you say."
"Okay, we're getting out of here, right now," she said. "Leo, you go first."
Holding his hands at the height of his chest, Leo turned and headed down the corridor. Beth and Burt followed.
Hope still whimpered and shook with hiccups.
Burt touched Beth's arm. "You rock!" he whispered.
"Let's talk later. And hey, Leo, move faster." They had to get out of here before someone from the village came to investigate the ruckus.
The tunnel beyond the corridor was still dark, but Beth could now make out Leo's figure as he stood there, hesitating. Her eyes must have adapted to the mirk.
The stadium was to the left, the exit to the right.
"Out!" Burt hissed.
"Okay, okay." Still holding his hands up, Leo complied.
At the tunnel's exit, a large double-door barred their way. Moonlight seeped through a narrow gap between its two wings.
A noise of wood rubbing against wood, and the gap widened. Light flooded in.
"You won't last out there." Leo's silhouette was a black shadow against the moonlit ruins outside. "The gangs will kill you. Or the dogs will get you."
"That's our problem, man," Burt said. "Just move."
Leo held out his hands. "Give me Hope. I'll let you go. I won't tell the others until the morning, and I'll say I don't know how you escaped or where you went."
Beth nodded. The still whimpering infant belonged in her dad's arms. She was about to comply when Burt grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"Why should we believe you once we return the baby to you?" he said. "Anyway, you can show us the way. Move." He gestured towards the square outside.
Leo released a noisy breath as he turned to the right and followed the square's perimeter.
"Hey, where are you going?" Burt hissed.
"You don't want to cross a square with that much moonlight. Keep to the shadows and buildings."
Burt shrugged. "Move, then."
For silent minutes, they walked along the stadium's wall and then turned left to walk in the shadow of a flat, long building. Beth eyed the open space—a scenery of pale grays—wondering why Leo wouldn't want to cross it.
As they reached the intersection with the road at the end of the square, Leo stopped. "Where do you want to go?"
"Seaside, of course," Burt said.
"The shortest route is that way." Leo gestured down the street to their right. "That's where Seaside is. But you'd have to go through city center, and you don't want that. And then, you'd have to cross the river. There's only one bridge still standing. The Bikers and the tunnel clan hold that territory, and they wouldn't let you pass. They'd eat you alive."
Beth wondered if that would involve literal eating, but she said nothing.
"And even if they'd let you pass, the bridge would just take you into the wastelands." He paused. "You'd have to cross them to get to your village. And believe me, that's a bad idea."
"Believe you?" Burt snorted.
Leo ignored him. "The only chance you've got is going this way." He pointed in the opposite direction. "That's where we came from today. Get out of the town as quickly as possible, then turn north. Follow the highway. Walk around the city, keeping away from it. But that'll take you several days, and there's no water."
"And how long's the direct way?" Burt asked, still squinting towards city center.
"If you survive, and the gangs let you pass, and if you have water, food, and weapons, it would take you more than a day to get to the river and another one or two to get to Seaside."
"Okay, that's where we'll go, then. Lead the way." Burt gestured along the street.
Beth wasn't sure if she agreed with the plan, but the men were already moving.
What were they going to do with Hope? The infant was quiet now, maybe calmed by the steady pace of her walking. But she would need food and care soon. And they didn't have water.
They weren't equipped for her. They weren't even equipped for themselves.
She was about to ask Burt about his plans as he bent down to pick up a stone. Then he moved ahead, taking a couple of silent steps to catch up with Leo. He swung his arm and hit the man's head.
Leo stumbled and groaned as Burt hit him again, bringing him down.
Then he lay still.
Burt kicked his victim, and when the man didn't move, he turned towards her. "Gimme the gun and the kid."
"What do you want with her?"
"We can't take her with us."
Beth took a step back from him. "What are you planning to do to her?"
"You could call it mercy... bullets for her and her dad. So they don't have to live in this shit hole and can be together forever. In chink heaven."
"You..." She clasped the pistol harder. "You can't do that. She's just a child. And he is knocked out already." She gestured at Leo.
Leo groaned as if to belie of her words.
"See?" Burt said. "Gimme the gun unless you want to do it yourself."
Hope sighed and exhaled, sending her warm breath across Beth's chest.
"No." She shook her head. "We won't do that. It's not right. We are all that remains of civilization, and we're not murdering them. We won't betray what Seaside stands for."
Leo groaned once more and moved an arm as if trying to find purchase.
Burt approached him, raising the stone in his fist.
"Stop it!" Beth hissed. "That's enough." She wouldn't have it—killing a father and his helpless child.
This had all been a mistake. Her mistake—she shouldn't have used Hope against her father.
She moved the gun to the hand holding Hope and used the other one to tug at Leo's arm. "Hey! Do you hear me?"
He groaned. Then he nodded.
She shoved Hope against his chest. "Here is your daughter. Take care of her."
With that, she got up. "You can follow me, or you can stay," she told Burt. "But don't you touch him or his daughter."
Hearing Burt's cursing behind her, she set out along the moonlit road. It led straight towards the tallest of the buildings—they stood like upright bones, bleached by light too weak to lend them color.
City center.