Learning to Walk at Night

He carried Maria up an abandoned maintenance ladder and ran into the rain behind the building. They had gone only a few blocks when a black sedan slammed to a stop at the curb. The window rolled down. The same black-clad leader from last night sat inside, watching Ethan like a line item on a purchase order. "You can't save them," the man said over the rain. "You can't even save yourself." Ethan was breathing hard. His ears were buzzing. He should have been afraid. Instead something cold and steady rose in his chest. He held up the spare storage card he'd taken from the back room. "I already have what you wanted." The car doors opened at once. Ethan ran.