The deliberate, rhythmic thumping at their makeshift barricade sent a shard of ice through Ethan's veins. It wasn't the mindless fumbling of a Walker. This was intelligent, purposeful. He spun around, pressing a finger to his lips, his eyes wide as he met Lily's terrified gaze. She nodded, understanding instantly, and shrank back against the far wall, making herself as small as possible.
[ANALYZING AUDITORY SIGNATURES AT DOOR... METALLIC SCRAPING DETECTED. CONSISTENT WITH ATTEMPT TO PRY OR JIMMY LOCK MECHANISM. SUBTLE SHIFTING SOUNDS INDICATE AT LEAST TWO INDIVIDUALS OUTSIDE.]
[BIOSIGNATURE SCAN THROUGH DOOR/WALLS: PARTIALLY OBSTRUCTED. DETECTING 2, POSSIBLY 3, HUMAN SIGNATURES. NO WALKER SIGNATURES IN IMMEDIATE PROXIMITY TO DOOR.]
Two or three. Humans. Ethan's mind raced. Could it be the men from the van attack? Had they seen him on the Kwik-Mart roof? Or were these new opportunists, drawn by the earlier commotion and now methodically checking buildings?
The thumping stopped, replaced by a low murmur of voices from the other side of the door, too indistinct to make out words. Then, a sharp, metallic snap.
[WARNING: LOCK MECHANISM COMPROMISED. DOOR INTEGRITY FAILING. BREACH IMMINENT (ESTIMATED 10-15 SECONDS).]
[RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE EVACUATION VIA WINDOW AND FIRE ESCAPE. ALTERNATIVE: PREPARE AMBUSH AT DOORWAY (HIGH RISK WITH COMPANION).]
There was no time to weigh options. "Lily, to the window! Now! Be very, very quiet!" Ethan hissed, already moving towards it himself. He glanced back at the door; the chair wedged under the handle was visibly trembling.
He reached the window and fumbled with the latch, his fingers clumsy with urgency. It was stiff from disuse. Outside, the fire escape beckoned – a precarious path to momentary freedom, but their only chance.
"Come on, come on," he muttered, finally forcing the latch open. He pushed the window upwards with a protesting squeal of metal on metal.
"Someone's in there! Heard the window!" a gruff voice barked from outside their office door, followed by a heavy thud against the wood. The door bulged inwards.
"Lily, you first!" Ethan urged, trying to keep the panic from his voice. He helped her scramble onto the narrow ledge and then onto the top platform of the fire escape. "Go down, quickly but carefully. I'm right behind you."
Her small, terrified face was pale in the dim light, but she didn't hesitate, starting her descent.
Another tremendous crash against the door. It splintered loudly.
Ethan threw one leg over the windowsill, his baseball bat held ready. He risked a glance back just as the office door burst open, revealing two figures silhouetted against the dim hallway light. They were bulky, dressed in dark, scavenged clothes, their faces obscured by shadows, but the aggressive way they burst in, weapons raised (one held a crowbar, the other a short pipe), left no doubt as to their hostile intent. They were not the same men he'd seen attack the van, but their predatory aura was chillingly similar.
"Hey! They're going out the window!" one of them shouted, spotting Ethan.
There was no time for a fight he couldn't guarantee winning quickly and without Lily getting caught in the crossfire. Ethan launched himself fully onto the fire escape platform and scrambled after her. The metal rungs felt slick beneath his hands and feet.
"Faster, Lily!"
He could hear them now at the window above, shouting and cursing. A heavy object – probably the crowbar – clanged loudly against the fire escape railing just above his head, sending sparks flying. They were trying to dislodge them or hit them.
[IMMINENT THREAT: HOSTILES ATTEMPTING TO DISRUPT ESCAPE. PROJECTILE RISK. INCREASED FALL RISK. SYSTEM MONITORING STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF FIRE ESCAPE (CURRENTLY STABLE).]
They reached the first landing. Lily was surprisingly nimble, fear lending wings to her small feet. As they clattered down the next section, Ethan risked a look up. One of the men was leaning precariously out the window, trying to get a clear line of sight. He wasn't armed with a gun, Ethan noted with a sliver of relief, but that didn't make their situation much safer.
They were halfway down the last flight of stairs when the man above gave a frustrated roar and hurled something. It was the office chair. It spun through the air, crashing heavily onto the fire escape section they had just vacated, the metal groaning and buckling under the impact. If they had been a few seconds slower…
[FIRE ESCAPE UPPER SECTION DAMAGED. ESCAPE ROUTE INTEGRITY COMPROMISED FOR FUTURE USE.]
They hit the bottom of the fire escape, landing heavily in the narrow, refuse-strewn alleyway.
"This way!" Ethan grabbed Lily's hand, pulling her along. He remembered the layout from before; this alley should lead out to a different, smaller side street, hopefully further from the main walker herd and their pursuers.
Behind them, he heard the men yelling, their voices fainter now. It sounded like they were arguing, probably about whether to try and follow them down the damaged fire escape. That bought them precious seconds.
They burst out of the alley onto a deserted, narrow street lined with boarded-up shops. For a moment, it seemed quiet, almost peaceful compared to the chaos they'd just escaped.
[IMMEDIATE PURSUERS: NO LONGER IN VISUAL OR AUDITORY RANGE. HOWEVER, AREA IS UNSECURED. MULTIPLE WALKER SIGNATURES WITHIN 50-METER RADIUS, THOUGH NOT ALERTED TO YOUR PRESENCE CURRENTLY.]
"Are they… are they gone?" Lily panted, looking back fearfully.
"For now," Ethan said, scanning their surroundings. "But we can't stay here. We need to find somewhere else, somewhere harder to reach."
His mind raced. The office was a bust. Their pursuers, whoever they were, knew they were in this area. They were exposed, vulnerable, and Lily was clearly exhausted. The information about the "Sanctuary at Stone Mountain" felt like a distant, almost impossible dream right now, yet it was a pinpoint of light in the overwhelming darkness. But Stone Mountain was far. They needed immediate safety, a place to rest, to think.
As he looked down the street, trying to decide which direction offered the best chance, his eyes fell on a squat, brick building at the end of the block. It had barred windows and a heavy, reinforced-looking steel door. A faded sign above the door read: "Municipal Credit Union."
Banks were built to be secure.
[POTENTIAL SHELTER IDENTIFIED: ABANDONED CREDIT UNION BUILDING. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS: REINFORCED WALLS, BARRED WINDOWS, HIGH-SECURITY DOOR. LIKELY DIFFICULT TO BREACH FOR BOTH WALKERS AND UNPREPARED HUMANS. INTERNAL SCAN PARTIALLY OBSCURED, BUT NO IMMEDIATE BIOSIGNATURES DETECTED FROM THIS VANTAGE POINT.]
It was a gamble. If it was truly abandoned and they could find a way in without drawing too much attention, it could be the haven they desperately needed, at least for a night. But getting inside a bank, even a defunct one, wouldn't be easy. And what if it wasn't truly empty?
The sounds of the city – the distant moans, a far-off siren, the rustle of wind through broken windows – pressed in on them. They couldn't stay out in the open.
"Lily," Ethan said, pointing towards the building. "I think that might be our next stop. Stick close."