The next day, I woke and prepared the team for a scavenge. It was standard routine by then but as always there were a few stragglers. And as usual Jay was up and ready before anyone else. This kid was crazily smart and able in all situations, and yet prefered to be by himself than with anyone else. He was also a great market seller and so I was constantly confused why Rose managed to get free information from him when no one else could. Though I suppose it was because he was used to reporting to Emma.

Eventually everyone was ready and we set out for the day. I led the team as close as possible to the Whitbourne's settlement so Rose could join but when we passed, I could not see her. However, a minute later I looked behind me and spotted her balancing on the rooftops. I shook my head and grinned. That girl was puzzling. She could get anywhere and do anything without anyone noticing and have no problem doing it. I had even seen her practically walk up the side of buildings.

After a while we reached the business district and I signalled for the team to arm themselves. Suddenly Rose dropped in front of us and mimed for us to halt. We waited for a second and then, before most of us could register what had happened, Rose had shot two giant rodent hybrids as they entered the street from under a pile of concrete. Their fur was coarse and mottled and their teeth jagged and yellow. They were at least one metre, twenty centimetres long and that's not including the tail. The tail, ugh. I have a problem with rats. Living in that city gave me quite a few nightmares. I shuddered.

Glancing around me, the newest members of the team looked shocked. Especially as Rose was at least two years younger than them. She beckoned for us to come forward, but had a finger to her lips. We were all on guard. I crept to stand next to her as we patrolled through the streets. We encountered a few more of the beasts but not as many as I had expected. However when I sent the first team into a building to scavenge, we heard gunshots within a few minutes of them being in there.

By the time the sun had risen above the skyscrapers, we were well stocked up with our finds, but Rose's bag was empty except from a few special things. Up head was the hospital. I saw Rose pick up her step, and soon she was at the doors before the rest of us. We filed through and I directed my team to the different sections of the building, when suddenly an earthquaking sound shook the land. It echoed in the streets and I looked out to survey. Nothing seemed to have changed. Distracted, I commanded the rest of my scavengers, and took off through the staircases to find Rose and Jay. Eventually I caught up with them and we started a thorough search of the technology, coma and brain surgery rooms. We almost reached the end of the unit when the earth started shaking again. This time it was louder and the sound was amplified in the metal filled tech-room. Dust and plaster started to rain from the walls and ceiling, and then the sound stopped.

Suddenly, it truly began. The racket vibrated through the hospital and I heard crunching and thudding from the higher floors. Shrieks followed closely behind. I started to run in the direction of the shouts.

"Rose let go! You're not gonna get the door open in time!"

I halted as I heard Jay yell and turned to see Rose pulling furiously at a locked door. I glanced back in the direction of the panic before sprinting back to Rose.
"Rose come on. This building is breaking and we have to get out now! If there's any of it left after, we'll come back but we'll be trapped if we stay," I spoke gently but I could barely hide my frustration. Jay tugged on her arm, dragging her towards the exit.

"No! We're so close! I know that key is in there! I know it Dan!" she begged. I started to apologise but then she broke free. She tore my gun from its strap around my shoulders and shot one clean blast through the door. Before we could stop her, she had scrambled through. The blast had dislocated more rubble and the ceiling was starting to crack. Jay shouted a warning and I dived out of the way as a section of the ceiling fell where I was stood.

I ran into the room and saw Rose frantically searching through drawers and in machines. I tried to shout to her but she couldn't hear me over the din of the collapsing building. Grudgingly, I started rummaging through the room with her, knowing she would not stop until she knew there was not a single key left in there.

Time seemed to slow as we searched. We found very few keys. However through a break in the sound, I heard Jay shout from the door and point out a filing cabinet. I squinted through the dust in the air and saw the label on one of the draws. Keys. I heard a triumphant yell behind me and saw Rose run past to the cabinet. She opened the draw and tipped the keys into her bag.

Suddenly, a rumble came from the doorway and I saw Jay roll into the room just as the door collapsed. We all stood there, stunned and coughing. Now Rose had finally found the keys, she had snapped back to her usual self. Rose and Emma Whitbourne were renowned for their ability to focus in the heat of dangerous situations and I am fairly sure this fell into that category.

The dust was now making it nearly impossible to see more than your arms length, but the area near the window was vaguely clear. Through the dense clouds, I saw Rose peer out of the glass-less opening and then check the strength of the window frame. She choked on the dust and called us over with a wave of her arm.

Over by the window, I could see a section of my team gathered in the street. But I could also see other buildings collapsing. Before I could stop her, Rose had vaulted herself through the window and onto the precarious, flat roof below. Then Jay passed me, through the window and onto the roof as well. I quickly followed, knowing there was no other way out of the room. I landed heavily on the roof and heard it groan and I felt something give way beneath the covering. I agilely crossed the roof to where the others were making their way down to the ground. However, we were still three storeys up.

In the lead, Rose leapt onto a low wall and ran the length of the building. Jay and I were shortly behind. We scrambled down onto another roof, and just in time. A grating crash came from the way we just came and I turned to see the wall buckle and tumble into the room below. I looked at Jay.

"Come on," he said as he shook his head in disbelief. "We'll go down too if we stand here much longer."

The next stretch of roof looked fairly secure so we started running, but halfway across it began to crumble behind us. Like in the old movies we sometimes found, it kept cracking in chunks, constantly at our heels, but somehow we made it onto a sloping tile roof. We slid down and I overtook the others, leading them towards our scattered scavenging team.