"You okay Nathan?" Miles called out as he and Kim turned the corner. Nathan stood over the mangled corpse of a viral at his feet. His titanium crowbar was stained the sleek crimson colour of blood. He withdrew the end from the eye socket of the body and strapped it back on his backpack. There was no point in washing the blood off. Nathan had maintained an average of six kills a day. The fear of knowing each encounter could be his last had worn off. This was there life now.
He fondled his breast pocket for a pack of cigarettes before lighting one up. Kim and Miles came closer. "Bum me one?" Miles asked, cutting the tension.
"No way kid. These things can kill you. There's enough of that going on already." Nathan said, taking a puff.
"Where are we going again?" Kim asked.
"A lot of those rich types got cabins or houses along the coast. We should be able to get some basic supplies. At least get out of downtown by nightfall." He examined the two. He wouldn't have expected them to be strong but they had proven themselves to be capable. Resourceful. Fighters. Kim was a young woman, part Thai, who spent the majority of her life just up north in Whiterock. Daring, but reckless. She was clever however. She'd studied medicine at the University of British Columbia before the outbreak. She was an asset. She stood clad in a blue hoodie and jeans, raven hair tied back in a ponytail. She kept a screwdriver and her golfclub on hand constantly.
Miles was her opposite. Tall and broad, with dark skin, brown eyes and curly black hair that seemed to stick right up. He was dressed in an old Supersonics T shirt and khakis. A massive hiking backpack was on his back, loaded with supplies, and he held onto a compound bow, though he was a terrible shot. He relied more on his hatchet. He was from Seattle and studied chemistry in University. He was more cautious and observant than Kim. The two were different, but perhaps that's why they fell in love.
"How much time do we have?" Miles asked.
"A few hours at most. We better move fast. God knows how bad those bastards get by sunset." Downtown Vancouver was a labyrinth of alleys, streets and dead ends. Even those who'd lived their for years often got lost. But in a world like this, one wrong turn can lead to your own untimely demise.
