We kept moving through the city, only more cautiously now. I was certain of only one thing – I didn’t want to be caught off guard by another Sarnak.

I also didn’t want to think about what had happened. Less than a day here, and I’d already killed a sentient being. Granted, it was either him or me – and Anne as a bonus – but it still felt wrong.

Anne was less concerned about the whole thing. “You did what you had to do. Plenty of people would’ve tried to run. Run away, that is. Normally people don’t run towards the gun-toting soldier.”

“He would’ve picked us off from a distance.” I ducked behind a trash compactor and checked the road ahead. No aliens, good. “How far is the shelter again?”

“The next left and then a five-minute walk.” Anne read off from her phone. “Maybe there’s showers there? I feel covered in dust.”

“You are covered in dust.”

“Well then I must be right.”

“Okay, Miss I-am-right, follow me after a couple of minutes.” I darted forward, checking left and right as I moved, and stopping at the street corner.

A cautious peek ahead showed me the best news I’d had all day – people. Armed people, with guns.

“Some troops here,” I called back. “Come on up.”

“What uniform?”

I squinted. “No uniform, just a green and pink armband on everybody’s shoulder.”

“Step back quietly,” Anne called. “Those are Grunters.”

I cautiously inched back from the wall with a quizzical look. “Grunters?”

“A gang that works for supervillains.”

Ding!

NEW FACTION IDENTIFIED – GRUNTERS. ADDED TO KNOWN FACTIONS LIST.

I swiped right to dismiss the notification. “So, it’s not safe to go with them, then?”

“No. We need to find the police. Or actual army troops. Let’s try a different shelter.”

Over the next few hours, Anne and I walked, crawled or sneaked through several miles of devastated streets and rubble that marked the remnants of buildings.

We saw alien troops only once more. This was a squad of six Sarnak, all marching in formation through the city. Now and then they would fire a blast of some weird green energy at storefronts or buildings. Usually, the building was replaced by fires, rubble, or in one case, fiery rubble.

Anne and I hid behind a dumpster while the Sarnak passed by.

“Why do they fire at nothing?” Anne whispered as the Sarnak disappeared into the distance.

“I suppose they see movement and shoot at it,” I whispered back. “Let’s wait a few minutes before we move.”

We kept scuttling from the shadow of one building to the next as the daylight gave way to evening. On several occasions, we saw humans with guns marching around. None of them wore proper uniforms – or in some cases, any uniforms – so we decided against contacting them.

Around sunset, a high-pitched whine began to sound throughout the city. Anne slumped in relief. “Oh. That’s the all-clear.”

“The all-clear?”

“Yes – it means the aliens are gone. Or the attack is over. We’re safe.”

“Safer,” I corrected, “but not safe. I doubt the gangs and mercenaries will have retreated yet.”

Anne nodded. “We still need to get to a shelter. Let’s see, the next one should be about two blocks down, after the first left.”

“Hopefully this one hasn’t been occupied by either gangs or aliens.” We had encountered three other shelters after the first – two were burnt to the ground, and the last one had a bunch of rowdy-looking thugs occupying the front. Neither had seemed appealing.

“Hopefully,” Anne nodded back.

The fourth shelter turned out to be guarded too, but this time by actual Army troops. A dozen jeeps with mounted machine guns provided protection, while the U.S. flag flew proudly in front of the gate. A constant stream of people – civilians – was going through the gates, while several police officers searched them before letting them in.

One of the policemen manning the gate greeted us as we walked up. “You two okay?”

Anne nodded. “Officer, I need to find my father. Can you tell me how to find him?”

“We’ll get to that in a bit, miss. Let’s get you and your brother inside, and we’ll put up a request to find your dad. Any bruises or injuries?”

“No injuries,” I replied, “but I’m not...” That was as far as I got before Anne elbowed me in the ribs.

“My brother and I would appreciate that,” she replied.

“Sure, missy. Let’s get you checked out by the nice lady over there.” He pointed to a policewoman with a scanner. “And I’ll need your names.”

“Anne Drake.”

“And you, young man?” The policeman turned to me.

“Er....” I hesitated.

The policeman smiled gently. “Lad, I just need your name for the record. You’re not in any trouble or anything.”

“His name’s Anne,” interrupted Anne. “I mean, Anne-Drew. Andrew. That’s his name.”

The policeman gave us a puzzled look, then shrugged, as if a tongue-tied sibling and an overbearing younger sister were the least of his problems right now. “Whatever you say. I’m registering your names – Anne and Andrew Drake – and maybe you could tell me your address?”

“2508 Pendleton.”

“Thank you, Miss Drake. Please go through the processing and we’ll put up your names on the online board. If your father is at any of the shelters, he’ll be able to find where you are. Once you’ve been processed, you can go into the shelter and there’ll be a big display board listing people who’ve been located, as well as a query terminal.”

Ding!

QUEST ALERT: FIND ANNE’S FATHER.

QUEST REWARD: +100 XP.

I swiped the alert right almost instinctively.

The policeman gave me a funny look. “You all right, kid?”

“Fly,” Anne replied. “He was swatting away a fly. Big one. I saw it too.”

The policeman’s gaze swung towards Anne, then back to me. “Whatever you say, girl. Be on your best behaviour in the shelter. There are security cameras in there.”