Then what? When I imagined leaving the boat, it was in a rural area. We could have seen what was coming towards us, at least. Here, even if we managed to find a car, there would be no way to drive it out of the city.
She could see glimpses of streets between the high-rises and historic buildings. They were crowded with cars, like she’d expected. The unending wall of vehicles, banked up on each other, was impenetrable.
Clare lifted her eyes towards the buildings. In the distance, a flash of colour made her breath hitch. She leaned closer to the glass, craning her neck as the captain tried to obstruct her view. An office building had blocked her view, and already, she was beginning to doubt what she’d seen. Then the office drifted out of the way again, and Clare saw seven blue letters, perched at the top of a dark-windowed skyscraper. They would have been nearly invisible against a clear sky, but with rain clouds thick above them, the name stood out in sharp relief.
She clutched Dorran’s sleeve, breathless. “Helexis.”
His eyebrows drew down. “I see it.”
The tower was at least four blocks away. Close, but at the same time, painfully far. Clare lowered her eyes to the streets. They were chaos. The dim early afternoon light reflected off a dozen tangled vehicles and a felled crane.
Dorran’s gaze followed the same dance hers had, flicking from the tower to the street, as he built scenarios and ran calculations in his mind.
Already, in just those few seconds, Clare felt them start to drift away from the tower. The river’s flow had felt too slow when they were waiting for an escape. Now, it felt too fast. The building was four blocks away. If they waited even another minute, it would be five.
“Are we going?” Dorran asked. He was tense, his dark eyes intent.
She opened her mouth then closed it again. Beth would have had a reason to write the message into her bunker wall. Helexis Tower might be a safe haven. It might hold other survivors who could help them or protect them. Or it might be barren. Clare imagined running through four blocks of hollows only to meet a dead end. But they were so close to it. So close that it almost felt like fate.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Dorran snapped into motion. He darted across the boat to where they’d made their bed the night before and snatched up their jackets. “Masks,” he barked, sliding one over the table for Clare to reach. “Be quick but secure it tightly. We need to find a way around the captain too.”
As Clare fit the dark mesh over her face, she glanced at the hollow. He watched them, curious, head tilted. The serrated knife glittered as rain dropped over the blade. He was too smart to be fooled by the masks. “I can buy us at least a minute.”
“That is all I need.” He was already back at her side, fastening gloves over her hands then bending to check the pants legs were tight around her ankles. As he stood, he slid his own mask into place. “We don’t have much time. We need to go now.”
Helexis Tower had fallen out of sight, masked by the myriad of buildings clustered between it and the river. Clare jogged to the door on the right-hand side of the boat, the side opposite to the tower. She unfastened the bolt and wrenched it open. The metal made a deep clattering noise as it slid along the runners, and Clare glanced over her shoulder.
The captain was already gone. She knew he must have flattened his body to the ground as he raced along the deck. She left the door open as she and Dorran bolted for the exit the captain had stood by just seconds before.
There wasn’t enough time to be cautious. Clare unlocked the door and threw it open. As they stepped through, she caught sight of the captain coming through the right-hand doorway. She wrenched her door closed behind them but didn’t lock it. “Try to find us a way to shore!”
The captain hit the door. She felt the handle rattle under her fingers and held it tightly. It was a gamble, but it was the only way to hold him inside the room. Locking the door would only send the captain scuttling back through the cabin and onto the deck. Instead, Clare teased him, allowing him to pull the barricade open half an inch before slamming it closed again. He was stronger than she’d expected. She had to lean her weight into the metal to keep it shut.
Dorran moved towards the ship’s front in long, fast strides. It only took him a second to return with a loop of thick rope carried on his shoulder. He leaned across the railing, watching the scenery passing them by as he waited for an opportunity.
The door scraped back, and when Clare tried to shove it closed again, the latch failed to catch. The captain had thrust his knife through the gap, jamming it open. The wet blade jostled just below her elbow. Damn it. Be quick, Dorran.
Almost as though he could hear her, he unslung the rope, braced himself, and threw the loop. She heard a faint thud as it hit something, then Dorran leaned back, muscles straining as he fought to close the gap.
The knife slid back through the door. The captain tried to replace it with a hand, but Clare slammed the door into it, crushing his fingers. He pulled the hand back inside. Clare forced the door closed and felt the latch fall into place. “Dorran!”
“Ready!” He turned back to her and stretched out a hand. Clare pushed away from the door and ran to him. He caught her up, lifting her, then together,
