"Who among you drives?" Richard asked, leading us through the narrow, shadowed corridors of the Safe City. His steps were careful and practiced, the gait of a man who had learned exactly which streets to avoid and which shadows hid danger.
Nobody answered.
He glanced back at me. "You?"
"No," I said.
"Knew it." He kept walking, weaving around a pile of collapsed rubble. "I could tell the moment I saw you. But don't worry. I'm an excellent driver."
The girls walked a few steps behind us, murmuring quietly between themselves with the easy rhythm of people on a casual stroll. Mercury's low laugh drifted forward now and then. Jenn's voice was softer, calmer. I stayed focused, eyes scanning every doorway, every dark corner, every broken window that could hide movement.
Richard kept talking.
"I was a soldier, you know," he said. "Fought infected my whole life."
I glanced down at his legs, pale, soft, and far too hairy for someone claiming combat experience. I said nothing.
