ARES Virus: Arctic Storm by John O'Brien

trapped girl. The frustration Brown feels at constantly running into delays makes him want to speed things up; he has to force himself to be slow and careful. At the first street, they make their way back through the mayhem of a civilization that has come apart. Several vehicles are parked in driveways and Brown is tempted to forgo the original plan of going to the second avenue, but he pushes onward.
    Cutting corners will end this adventure right quick , he thinks, jogging across the street.
    Bypassing the girl again crosses his mind. The infected in the area have congregated at the house, which would make it easier to skirt around them, but he knows that’s just a fancy thought. After all, if they manage to escape this nightmare, he’ll have to look himself in the mirror each and every morning. His life hasn’t been perfect, and there were times he could have made different choices—done things more right—but he’s tried to do what’s best regardless of the consequences.
    That doesn’t mean I have to like them, though .
    Drawing up to the second street, Brown gathers the group in a huddle. “Okay, you two take the near side. I’ll head across to the far side. We go left first and stay in tandem. Remember, if you hear or see any infected, vanish. Stay together and head into the nearest house, and if they go in, run out the back door and don’t stop. Do not! I repeat, do not allow yourselves to get trapped like that girl. Any questions?” he asks, looking directly at Hayward.
    The two cadets respond in the negative by shaking their heads.
    “All right. Let’s get this done quickly and quietly.”
    Leaving the shelter of the side yard, Brown crouches and, skirting around a sedan with both front doors open, rapidly moves across the road. Glancing at the two cadets across the street, he watches them keep low as they approach the first parked car. Clarke watches the area as Hayward peeks over the lip of the door to see inside. Brown feels a sense of pride as the two of them demonstrate that they’ve managed to learn a little on this escapade. Turning, he begins his search on his side of the street.
    Checking the few cars that are still parked in the driveways and not askew in the street, Brown doesn’t find a single one with an alarm activated by the time he gets to the end of the block. Looking over at the cadets, Clarke shakes her head indicating that they didn’t find one either. With the sound of helicopters faint in the background, and the noise of the infected only a couple of blocks away, Brown waves the two over.
    Time isn’t on their side and he’s hesitant to spend what little of it they do have searching for a car alarm. Each minute they remain in the city is one less they have until a blockade is set, and the odds that they’ll be discovered are increasing. With the two sprinting across the street, Brown looks down the street, focusing on the houses lined up in a neat row along it. It occurs to him that some of the abodes might have been empty, with this situation having occurred during working hours.
    These houses are fancy enough to have alarms , he thinks as Hayward and Clarke slide next to him.
    Looking closer, he sees that several have small signs posted, indicating that the home is alarmed.
    I’m slipping. I should have noticed that kind of shit before. Come on, Brown. Stay in the game.
    “Okay you two, new plan. We’re going to those houses that have the alarm signs posted in front. We’ll circle around back and break in, setting off the alarm. Hopefully that will be loud enough to draw the infected this way.”
    “If we’re going to break in, why don’t we just break in through the front door?” Hayward asks.
    “Ever tried to bust through a solid wooden door that probably has a dead bolt? If you want a dislocated shoulder, be my guest,” Brown responds.
    Brown sees Clarke’s eyes light up. “Oh, yeah. Back doors are often just sliding glass.”
    “Precisely.”
    “Always