Go to the museum

"I like the idea of the museum," you say. "It's large, it's secure, it has food and supplies we could use, and it's not like a police station or something that might be occupied already by someone else. After all, when there's a global crisis, one generally doesn't think 'let's head for the museum'."

Amanda laughs nervously. "All right. I'll get my things -"

The sound of shattering glass from somewhere below you interrupts her. "Oh no! They're coming!" she whispers.

"Do you have anything that we can defend ourselves with?"

"Nothing better than a pipe. Oh God, Alex, please don't let them get me!"

The poor girl is terrified. You pick up a length of pipe off the floor, toss it to her, and grab a second one for yourself. "You got any more fuel for that lantern?" you ask.

"Um... yes, just the one can."

You look where she points. The can is at least two gallons. Where she got it you don't know, but it'll serve. You knock the top off the can and tip it over onto the floor, spilling it across the room. "Grab what you absolutely need, Amanda. We're getting out of here now."

Her eyes wide, she snatches up a small shoulder bag and the lantern, while you grab a water canteen and a box of matches. The sound of pounding feet coming up the stairs tells you you'd better move fast.

Amanda is out the fire escape when you hear the pounding at the door. You wait a few minutes, knowing that this has to be played for effect as much as actual damage. The door splinters inward as you strike a match and toss it into the puddle of lantern fuel -

• and the room explodes in a blazing fireball.

  The blast knocks you backwards, but you recover quickly. Ignoring the screams you hear from the room, you scramble down the fire escape and reach the ground just after Amanda. Without turning to see if anyone is following, the two of you run through the alley and into the street. Black smoke is already pouring out of the building as you leave it behind you You wonder idly how far the fire might spread without anyone to put it out, but you didn't have much choice in the matter. You keep running, pulling Amanda behind you, until you reach the relative safety of a nearby parking garage and collapse behind an abandoned car, breathing heavily.

  "You... you saved my life," Amanda says when she catches her breath.

  It's hard to know what to say to that, so you just smile at her.

  She throws her arms around you and holds you tight. "My life is yours now, Alex" she whispers in your ear. "Wherever you go, I will go too. Whatever you ask of me I will give."

  ---

  An hour later, you both arrive at the museum gates. It's an old, gothic building that resembles an ancient castle, all stone with several towers and large oak doors. Amanda punches a code into the numeric keypad, but it doesn't work, so the two of you end up climbing the fence. Fortunately, her key for the front door does work. As far as you can tell, the place is completely deserted - even the smell of decay seems absent. The windows look intact as well.

  "You were right," Amanda says, her voice echoing in the spacious and empty lobby. "No one thought of coming here. We'll have the place to ourselves."

  "Let's hope," you say.

  "I'm so tired," Amanda says with a sigh. "I haven't slept well lately. And after what happened today, I just want to lie down and go to sleep. My father's office has a sofa bed, he often had to spend the night here. Let's set up there for the night."

  Since you don't have any better ideas, you follow Amanda up a set of winding stairs into one of the museum's towers. The office opens with Amanda's key, and the promised sofa bed is there. Wordlessly, the two of you fold it out and drop down on it, exhausted.

  You don't know how long you've been asleep when you are suddenly awakened by...