faded. The world and all its shadows drifted by, surreal with the dust and bones of another age. The trail of light stretched straight ahead of her, each bulb marking a distance. It had been a long time since she had raced.
The path split into two, one diverging to run along the right side of the mall while she followed the left. The chasm opened between them with a Plexiglas fence topped with a piped aluminum guard rail protecting her from the edge. The top of a dead escalator came into view. It gave her an idea.
What if she went below?
She clicked on the flashlight and swung its beam into the gap, squinting as the floor below came into view. The remains of a dinosaur exhibit stretched up, gaunt and dusty. Around it, a maze of shopping stalls she’d have to run around.
Nope. Best to stay on the clear path while she had it. While the way was lit.
Behind her, more shots cracked through the old air. Their echoes knocked into her spine. She ran on. Had they reached the mall?
Her breaths raced along with her, shoes pounding against the linoleum. She imagined the mob chasing along behind her. They made her wish she had magic even more. She did not want to be alone in the dark with them. In lieu of either option, she put distance between them.
Her lungs burned. Her legs felt like lead. She was not an athlete anymore.
When the light died, it took her breath with it. The dark was a physical presence. Shocks of blue burned in her vision.
She skidded in the dust, a knee briefly locking in place. Geez, she was out of shape. She skipped a few steps and clicked on the flashlight.
Ancient displays hung limp in the windows, materializing strobe-like in her bouncing beam. She tried to keep it pointed ahead of her. Her breaths wheezed in her ear, growing more and more ragged. Her hair stuck to her open mouth. Her burning thighs grew clumsy, sluggish and slow.
It was eerily quiet.
She looked over her shoulder—a quick, wild look. She didn’t trust that dark. These people lived here. This was their playground. She was trespassing.
What the hell was she doing down here? She didn’t belong here. Then again, she didn’t belong in the normal city either. Hell, her magic—whatever it was—didn’t even fit the normal definition of magic. She had no element. No role.
Her toe stubbed into the linoleum. Hard. She yelped before she hit, the wind knocked out of her. The flashlight spun away. Her knees stung, her wrist rang with pain. She gritted her teeth against a whimper, curling into her legs.
The flashlight rolled under the guard rail. It illuminated the grimy Plexiglas as it tipped over the edge. There was a heavy clunk. The light vanished.
Great.
Clinging to her burning knees, she let that whimper go. She rested her head against the floor, choking on her breath.
Maybe she should just let them catch her. She wasn’t going to reach Mo’s. In these tunnels, without light, she couldn’t beat them there.
The floor felt cool against her cheek. The pain subsided into a hot throb. Her knuckle felt numb from where she’d knocked it.
What would her mother have to say about this?
Her laugh hurt. No way would her mom have been in this position. Tears slid from her eyes, but they weren’t the usual ones. These were for the pain. They didn’t choke like grief did.
Which was a good thing, since her breath still hadn’t caught up.
If she got out of this, she promised to run every damn day.
‘If’. Her jaw tensed. She knew what her mother would have said to that. Same thing her father had told her last night.
She couldn’t let the fear win.
An idea formed. She felt stupid for not thinking of it earlier.
She didn’t have to reach Mo’s. Her cell phone was in her pocket. This wasn’t the nineties. Reception could bite through anything. Including a buried city.
All she had to do was get within range of the surface.
Distant shouts roused her. First, she’d have to deal with her pursuit. She sat up with a wince, taking
The path split into two, one diverging to run along the right side of the mall while she followed the left. The chasm opened between them with a Plexiglas fence topped with a piped aluminum guard rail protecting her from the edge. The top of a dead escalator came into view. It gave her an idea.
What if she went below?
She clicked on the flashlight and swung its beam into the gap, squinting as the floor below came into view. The remains of a dinosaur exhibit stretched up, gaunt and dusty. Around it, a maze of shopping stalls she’d have to run around.
Nope. Best to stay on the clear path while she had it. While the way was lit.
Behind her, more shots cracked through the old air. Their echoes knocked into her spine. She ran on. Had they reached the mall?
Her breaths raced along with her, shoes pounding against the linoleum. She imagined the mob chasing along behind her. They made her wish she had magic even more. She did not want to be alone in the dark with them. In lieu of either option, she put distance between them.
Her lungs burned. Her legs felt like lead. She was not an athlete anymore.
When the light died, it took her breath with it. The dark was a physical presence. Shocks of blue burned in her vision.
She skidded in the dust, a knee briefly locking in place. Geez, she was out of shape. She skipped a few steps and clicked on the flashlight.
Ancient displays hung limp in the windows, materializing strobe-like in her bouncing beam. She tried to keep it pointed ahead of her. Her breaths wheezed in her ear, growing more and more ragged. Her hair stuck to her open mouth. Her burning thighs grew clumsy, sluggish and slow.
It was eerily quiet.
She looked over her shoulder—a quick, wild look. She didn’t trust that dark. These people lived here. This was their playground. She was trespassing.
What the hell was she doing down here? She didn’t belong here. Then again, she didn’t belong in the normal city either. Hell, her magic—whatever it was—didn’t even fit the normal definition of magic. She had no element. No role.
Her toe stubbed into the linoleum. Hard. She yelped before she hit, the wind knocked out of her. The flashlight spun away. Her knees stung, her wrist rang with pain. She gritted her teeth against a whimper, curling into her legs.
The flashlight rolled under the guard rail. It illuminated the grimy Plexiglas as it tipped over the edge. There was a heavy clunk. The light vanished.
Great.
Clinging to her burning knees, she let that whimper go. She rested her head against the floor, choking on her breath.
Maybe she should just let them catch her. She wasn’t going to reach Mo’s. In these tunnels, without light, she couldn’t beat them there.
The floor felt cool against her cheek. The pain subsided into a hot throb. Her knuckle felt numb from where she’d knocked it.
What would her mother have to say about this?
Her laugh hurt. No way would her mom have been in this position. Tears slid from her eyes, but they weren’t the usual ones. These were for the pain. They didn’t choke like grief did.
Which was a good thing, since her breath still hadn’t caught up.
If she got out of this, she promised to run every damn day.
‘If’. Her jaw tensed. She knew what her mother would have said to that. Same thing her father had told her last night.
She couldn’t let the fear win.
An idea formed. She felt stupid for not thinking of it earlier.
She didn’t have to reach Mo’s. Her cell phone was in her pocket. This wasn’t the nineties. Reception could bite through anything. Including a buried city.
All she had to do was get within range of the surface.
Distant shouts roused her. First, she’d have to deal with her pursuit. She sat up with a wince, taking
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