The Ark

10.

I stared into the cauterised hole carved through his chest and glimpsed the pavement on the other side. The laser pulse had gone straight through, burning a grim tunnel in the exact spot Ty's heart had just been. The smell of burning flesh filled my nostrils and I gagged.

Screams erupted from somewhere behind me, snapping me from my daze. I glanced up in time to see our attacker lurch forward. Instincts kicked in and I ducked his sweeping attempt to grab me, legging it down the path.

His heavy footsteps were right on my heels, faltering only momentarily as I led him into the thick of a nearby queue. I laced through the crowd, hoping to melt into the throng and lose him—or at least make it too difficult for him to use the gun. I didn't dare turn around as I squeezed my way through the crush of bodies.

My eyes were streaming and the rushing air felt icy against my wet cheeks. I couldn't stop myself bumping blindly into people, stumbling over my own feet in a panicked attempt to push onward.

I broke out of the crowd and, through blurry eyes, spotted another souvenir kiosk ahead. My legs felt like lead as I willed them toward it. Behind me, grunts and cries from the crowd told me my pursuer was still on my tail.

I dashed around the kiosk, catching sight of the man as I rounded the stall and created a physical barrier between us. We eyed each other wildly and I noticed he'd hidden his gun again.

He made a sudden move to the left and I countered him, keeping as much of the kiosk between us as possible. We began a tense game of cat and mouse—moving back and forth. I didn't let him gain an inch on me, making the most of my barrier. Eventually he retrieved his gun, setting off a tirade of screams as customers scattered.

The confusion and panic spread to the nearby queue and I took the opportunity of the cover created by all the moving bodies to make a run for it. As I hit the eastern path again, a bright flash indicated another laser shot. I felt the heat of the pulse, but hadn't been hit. Instead, a woman ahead of me fell to the ground clutching her stomach, her shirt singed away around her wound.

I sucked back a sob as I ran past her, fighting away the urge stop and help. I pushed my legs harder, repeating to myself that she was alive and I wouldn't be, if this guy caught me.

I'd end up just like Ty.

The thought simultaneously brought tears to my eyes and spurred me on. The path changed from concrete to cobblestones as I entered the Steampunk village.

Tall, imitation gas lanterns lit the streets in the fading evening light, casting shadows on every lopsided doorway. I hurtled past the intentionally crooked buildings, bumping into more people on the crowded cobbled paths—even knocking one lady over. I jumped over her flailing limbs, too out of breath to apologise.

With each step I was slowing, my legs were burning and I was dizzy from so much wheezing. It was clear there was no way I was going to outrun him—I needed to find somewhere to hide.