Outbreak
“We may already be too late.I stop in the street and tilt my head up to scout the buildings around us. Most of them are only one story, but there’s a rundown old apartment building that stands taller than the rest.Nearly all the windows are broken, giving the building a menacing smile. My eyes follow the brick ledge about ten feet up and catch sight of a rusty fire escape.I turn to Harper. Her face is flushed from running, and her eyes are full of terror. I kneel down in front of her, and she gi...ves me a bewildered look.“Climb onto my shoulders.”“What?”“I can’t reach the fire escape. I’m going to lift you up so you can grab the ladder.”She gives me a shaky nod and swings her leg over my shoulder. I hold out a hand, and she uses it to steady herself as she puts all her weight on my back.Harper’s light, but she’s trembling so badly I’m afraid she’s going to slide right off. I stand up, gripping her legs, and she latches her ankles around my body as I position her under the ladder.She wobbles a little, but then I hear a loud creak as she yanks on the rusty ladder.When I kneel down, Harper slides gracefully off my shoulders and clambers up ahead of me. We’ve barely reached the halfway point when another gunshot shatters the silence.I feel the vibration inside my rib cage, and the image of a bullet ripping through the air paralyzes me on the ladder.The gunshot came from far away — and the bullet wasn’t meant for us — but I still feel death deep in my bones.Every nerve in my body is stretched to the breaking point.MoreLess
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