Stanley pushed the drone back inside his backpack.
"Didn't you hear what I said?"
"You can't speak to me like that," Bernadette snapped.
"If you don't want to die in the next few minutes," he said, finally looking at her, "then move your legs. This place is about to get surrounded."
Bernadette swallowed and nodded.
Stanley picked the bag and put it onto his shoulder. Then he stopped and opened the bag, and took out some clothes.
"Go Change it," he said, throwing the clothes at her.
She stepped back by instinct. The clothes fell to the floor.
"What?" she snapped. "Why would I wear your disgusting—don't you try to—"
"I said go, fucking change your clothes," Stanley cut in, his voice increasing in intensity. "Don't make me repeat myself. Pick it up and fucking change it, we don't have time for your bullshit."
She paused for a moment and then got down and grabbed the clothes, her hands shaking. She went into the bathroom and closed the door without saying another word.
Stanley didn't wait for it. He checked the window. Then the hallway. Everything seems clear for now.
The door opened. Bernadette stepped out in loose pants and an oversized shirt. Her yellow dress was clenched in her hand.
Stanley threw her a quick glance. "Now you look good."
Her eyes were burning. "You'll pay for this."
"Of course," he said. "If you survive tonight."
He tossed his hoodie at her. "Put that on too."
She caught it automatically. The dress slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.
Stanley turned, swung the backpack into place, and headed for the door.
"This way."
Without thinking, Stanley took the lead, cutting across the street and pulling Bernadette behind him when she lagged. Her steps were uneven, her breath sharp behind him, but she kept up.
Then he heard it. A mechanical buzz.
Stanley slowed. His grasp came down hard and sure. His gaze rose to the heavens.
It was hard to see through the darkness, but he knew the sound.
Then, the clouds shifted. Then came the moonlight. Brightening the street just enough.
At least a dozen dark objects were moving overhead, crossing the sky in a loose formation. They were headed back to the house they had just left.
"What are those?" Bernadette asked between gasps.
"Death flag."
They had hardly moved forward a few steps when there was a ripping in the air. It came from behind them. From the direction of the house.
Stanley didn't stop to check.
"Quick
Bernadette obeyed without a second thought.
They moved through an alley, the walls pressing in on either side. Trash bags ripped open. Shards of glass on the ground.
They emerged on another street. Empty houses stood on both sides of the street in rows, windows blacked out, hanging doors flapping loosely.
Stanley stopped at a storefront with a shattered window and ducked inside.
Bernadette followed without hesitation.
The place was a mess. Shelves lay overturned, boxes ripped open. Wires dangled from a half-collapsed ceiling panel, swaying slightly as they moved past.
"Do you even know where we're going?" she asked.
Stanley did not respond.
He grabbed loose cables. Cutting them clean with the dagger and stuffed short lengths into his pocket.
Bernadette watched him closely.
Stanley cut the last wire and stepped back out into the street.
Two people across the streets. Stanley stopped.
"Hey. You two."
They have noticed it too.
Bernadette moved instinctively, stepping in behind Stanley's shoulder. Her fingers brushed the back of his shirt before she caught herself and pulled away.
Stanley didn't answer right away.
The man stood in the center of the street, early thirties, gripping a metal stick in one hand.
A few paces behind him was an elderly woman, bent over, clutching a bag firmly to her chest.
The man crossed the street slowly. His eyes fixed upon Stanley first. Then moved to Bernadette.
"We're going underground," the man said. "The subway is not far from here. People are already down there."
"Thanks," Stanley said curtly. "But we're going in a different direction."
"Where?"
"Just not the subway." Stanley turned slightly. "Let's go."
He started to move. Bernadette didn't.
She was still breathing erratically. She looked at the ground for a moment before speaking.
"I want to go."
Stanley halted and turned to her. "That's not a good idea."
"No," she said. "I've made up my mind. It's better to be with more people than to run around with no direction at all."
The man glanced between them. "You two will be safer down there."
A sharp crack boomed again in the streets.
This time, Stanley didn't turn around.
She wasn't wrong. The man didn't look desperate. And the sky behind them still hummed, even if the drones weren't visible right now.
Bernadette took a step toward the man. "I'm going with them. You like it or not."
Stanley swore under his breath.
What would happen if he leaves her here? She was naive. Still catching up with how fast this world punished mistakes. Still thinking that safety came from numbers.
He breathed out slowly, pushing the thought away.
"Fine. We'll join."
Bernadette exhaled a breath she'd been holding.
The man nodded. "Stay close."
They crossed the street together, passing by the older woman, and turned toward the sloped road leading down.
"My name's Rick," said the man after a moment. "That's Martha."
The older woman nodded in agreement.
"Jin," Stanley replied, "and she is Rin."
Bernadette acted in quick thinking, but Stanley caught her hand before she could move. His eyes told her all that she needed to know.
Rick looked back momentarily. "You two together?"
"We are siblings," Stanley stated.
Bernadette pushed his hand away from her.
"Really?" Rick observed Bernadette more closely. "You two look very different."
"'Our parents married recently.'"
"That explains it."
They turned into a narrower street. The buildings pressed in here to shut out most of the moonlight.
"Still… it's hard to believe all this happened so fast," Rick muttered. "Last thing I remember, I was cooking dinner. Now I'm here."
Stanley looked up. "Yeah, but you seem to be handling it better than most."
"Better?" Rick thought to himself, "I still think this's all just a bad dream."
"I didn't much care for my nine-to-five gig, but at least it was better than this. I didn't have to worry about what I was going to do in the next ten seconds."
"What did you do?" Bernadette asked.
"Normal office worker in an advertisement company."
"How many people are there actually?" Stanley asked.
"Not sure," Rick replied. "Began with a few. Gradually more appeared. Some remain. Others depart."
"Has anyone taken charge?" Stanley pressed.
Rick shook his head. "Many tried but people seemed to disagree. Groups formed and disbanded."
Bernadette drew closer to Rick and whispered, "Is it safe?"
Rick looked back once more. "It's safer than the streets."
They drove past a burned-out car. The metal had buckled. The tires had melted into the asphalt.
A distant crack split the air, louder this time. Bernadette jumped.
Rick didn't stop. "Almost there,"
Stanley leaned closer. "Got anyone causing trouble down there?"
Rick offered a humorless smile. "Everyone brings something."
They reached the top of a slanted road. At the bottom of it was a metal gate that was ajar. A flickering light was burning below it. Voices could be heard.
Bernadette stopped at the edge and looked down.
"There are a lot of people," she whispered.
"Yeah," Rick said. "That's the point."
Stanley was watching the entry point, his eyes fixed on movement below.
Rick moved to the side. "After you."