Her fists were blindingly fast. Each punch she threw moved in a devastating chain, a second strike being thrown just milliseconds after the first one. I couldn’t dodge the barrage. Her slow advance kept me boxed in, and all I could do was bob and guard my face. I guess they were right when they said " the best defense is a good offense”. I couldn’t break past the wall of blows, no matter what I tried, let alone even see the strikes.

I had to get creative. I gritted my teeth. This was going to hurt. 

When I was 10, I went camping with my mom. I used the outhouse only to walk out into a hornet’s nest. I was stung all over my face. I spent the rest of the day icing my swollen flesh. It was so bad that we had to cancel the hikes and activities we had planned that day. 

That experience was the closest feeling to what her fist felt like. Each of her fingers dissipated the power of the strike to different parts of my face, like tiny little hornets bombarding the individual pores of my flesh. I ducked below the barrage, outstretching my hands. 

Grunting, I cinched my arms around her waist. Just barely, I managed to tackle her to the floor. I needed to know the diet that fed those ridiculously toned and lean muscles. Her midsection was as thick and dense as a stubborn oak, and she thrashed wildly as I pinned her arms down.

I heaved, sitting atop her chest, striking her with the sharpest elbow I could muster while I struggled to contain her flailing form. 

Searing pain engulfed my arm as clenched teeth dug into the flesh of my forearm. She was a biter. I swore, reeling back unconsciously, staggering to my feet as she did the same. 

She adjusted her collar, staring daggers at me. Clover cried something out, but I was unable to decipher her shout as the woman rushed at me once more. 

A jab, then an uppercut. I sidestepped the blow, the air funneling around the strike, grazing my face. I delivered a low kick to her shin, then a palm to the stomach, forcing her to go on the defensive. 

She stepped back, surprisingly of her own volition. She turtled, hunching over in a cube-like form, her matted hair clinging to her sweaty forehead. Her chest was folded in half, her arms tightly pressed against her face. 

She was getting tired. She couldn’t sustain the long combos she was throwing earlier. She expected me to go on the offensive, now that I knew she was exhausted. She was throwing everything she had left in the tank into that defense.  

And she was right. I’d be damned if I’d let that opportunity go to waste. 

I cocked my foot back, aiming for her face with a hook kick I knew could break her defense. 

She read me perfectly. She lowered her stance completely, sidestepped, then jumped into a flying superman punch, her fist viciously wound up.

Both strikes connected at the same time. With a mutual groan of pain, we collapsed next to each other, gasping. 

Clover leapt out from her hiding place, spreading herself between us in a starfish shape.

“STOP!”

She walked over to the woman, putting her hands in front of her face. 

“He’s not one of the soldiers. He’s a detective. He’s investigating here. He’s protected me.”

She blew her hair out of her face, straightening her tie. 

“Are you sure you’re okay, kid? Is he telling you to tell me that?”

She shook her head back and forth. I smiled awkwardly.

She glared at me suspiciously, but after a moment, seemed to notice I had no ill intent. She looked down, exhaling heavily.

“My name’s Erin. You?”

“Aurum Levi. I came to investigate the various missing person cases that led here. Specifically, I’m looking for a French CEO. The kid’s name is Clover. She was a visitor here before the lockdown. I’m assuming you were a gala guest?”

She nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Yeah. I was here to try to form connections with other tech companies. I own and run Smilescreens. You might have heard of us. We do a lot of TVs and tablets.  I was standing by the doors when the shooting started. I was lucky. I fought my way past the guards blocking the exits, rushing back here in hopes of getting out, but I unfortunately did not find it. I heard shuffling in this room and came to investigate.”

I whistled through my teeth, eyebrows raised.

“Smilescreens, huh? That’s impressive for someone your age. You’re what, 25? Same age as me? They say you’re the first real tech rival Samsung and LG have had in years. I’ve never seen you, though, for all the appearances the company makes.”

Her face deadpan and dry as ever, she raised a hand in front of her, shaking her head.

“I don’t like public appearances. And hard work will get you everywhere. That’s all I did. Just 16-hour shifts since I was 21.  And I'm 30. Not that impressive. Extreme poverty is an excellent motivator.”

I put my hands on my hips, looking her up and down.

“You’re more fit than I am. Your technique’s great. The kid and I could use you. We both need to get out of here. If we team up, it’ll be way easier from here on out.”

Clover nodded, looking a little starstruck. Her eyes were shining as she looked up at Erin in earnest admiration. I didn’t blame her. A tech CEO with cool-ass dragon tattoos, big muscles, and a nonchalant, cool attitude? Little me would’ve been in love.

Clover slowly approached Erin, tugging on her arm wraps.

“Miss, you look AWESOME.”

The corner of her mouth turned up in a small, barely visible smile. She relaxed her stance.

“Alright. I suppose you’re making some sense. And I still don’t know if I trust you with the kid. You look pretty beat up.”

I shrugged, grinning. A win was a win, even if it came with some sharp remarks. A second fighter would make getting through the aquarium far easier. 

I brushed dust off my knees, shuffling off the pain from the previous scuffle.

“I think we should look for other survivors. I don’t want to engage the soldiers if we don’t have to. If we’re not careful, their sheer numbers will overwhelm us. Our best shot at info is the experiences of the others trapped in here with us.”

Erin fidgeted with her earrings, not even glancing my way. 

“I kinda agree. I don’t want to get into fights I know we can’t win. But where would we even begin to look?”

Eager to impress our new companion, Clover slipped under my legs, waving a map in front of Erin.

“Look at this. This is a play area, with a winding staircase to the higher floors and a little imitation rock and coral reef play structure with a lot of caves and nooks and crannies. A perfect place to hide, right?”

I shrugged.

“It’s all we’ve got. To the Play Area.”

Erin dusted off her fingers. 

“Let’s go. Time waits for no man.” 

After a brisk walk, we approached our destination. But as I reached for the handle to the entrance, Clover lit up like a Christmas tree.

Erin’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

“Clover! Are you o-”

“Get away from the door!”

Clover pushed us away from the entrance as an explosion rocked the room, blasting the door open, black smoke flowing into my face and flooding the room.

Through the cloud of smog, I noticed a small, black figure dart up the stairs inside the play area, letting a conical item fall from their grip, clattering down the steps. Just barely, I made out a tightly tailored suit with a red tie. No mask. No tactical gear. A survivor. 

Grabbing Erin by the wrist, I dragged her into the room.

“There’s someone in there!”

“But Clover- she-”

“No time! After them!”