Cars filled the roads, most of them abandoned, some burned, some crushed beneath fallen concrete.
The night air carried smoke from somewhere far to the east.
Every few hundred meters there were signs that people still existed in the city.
A blanket hanging from a balcony.
A hand-painted arrow pointing toward a shelter.
A pile of empty food tins.
A barricade that had been abandoned in a hurry.
Bai Li slowed slightly near a narrow street.
Yan Cijin noticed.
"What?"
"Human scent."
They turned.
The alley looked empty.
But Bai Li stopped the motorcycle.
"Three people."
Yan Cijin looked toward a shuttered pharmacy.
"Inside?"
"Yes."
"Trouble?"
"Not exactly."
They entered the alley on foot.
A metal shutter covered the pharmacy's front.
Behind it, someone was whispering.
Bai Li knocked twice.
Silence.
Then a voice answered.
"Go away."
Yan Cijin said, "We are not zombies."
There was another pause.
"How do I know that?"
