~~“If those were real, you'll be dead.” a bright voice whispered behind Kathy Connors' shoulder. “We can't let you outside if your reactions are so bad.”
Kathy jumped and turned away from the large stuffed wolf she had been studying from behind the safety of the glass. Anyone could have been in there with her. However, she knew roughly who it was.
“Jamie!” Kathy hissed like a mother scolding a naughty child. “And you know I don't want to go outside.”
Jamie Penton smirked and turned to look at the wolf. Kathy continued to study her friend. Jamie had thick brown hair that stopped just above her shoulders. She was short but that only complimented her childish face. The most prominent features of her face were two light dimples and were set into her cheeks below a gentle line of freckles. Above the freckles were her brown eyes full of the excitement of someone much younger than the fifteen year old. She had little to suggest her age
Kathy, herself, had long dark brown hair that was so long it reached her waist. Her eyes looked like swirls of light grey smoke. Her arms naturally crossed in both a way of lightly scolding her energetic best friend but also from keeping the outside world from having a chance to hurt her. Kathy looked older than she was, being only fifteen and looking in her late teens. She had a ridge of faint freckles tiptoeing under her eyes and pale skin, showing how she tended to not leave the building. In her hands she clutched a battered brown notebook. A large feather stuck out of the side and the pot of ink was in her pocket. They had run out of pens ages ago and no one made pencils any more. It was easy to get ink and feathers so they had gone back to using quills. Kathy was constantly drawing and nearly every drawing she did ended up in book. No matter how much the rest of the group told her that her drawings were good, she never truly believed it.
Jamie was focused on the wolf. She took in every detail, the sharp white teeth, and the white snout that darkened into a light grey. She studied the dark clawed paws that were bent as if it was preparing to pounce.
“Why are you here?” Kathy asked Jamie.
Jamie didn't answer, studying the stuffed animal. The room they were in was lined with stuffed animals all hidden behind glass. Kathy would often stare at them for hours, never losing the wonder she felt. These were the creatures of the past. There were loins and wolves, antelope and birds. Animals of all shapes and sizes from dates so long ago Kathy could barely comprehend them. The room had once been a section of a museum. The floor beneath their feet had once been made of fine deep red laminate flooring but it had been smashed away over time and only small sections of it remained. The other sections showed the cobbled flooring that the laminate had once replaced. The walls behind the glass panelling were painted to show the habitats of the creatures. They had been untouched for years, sealed behind glass. There were marks where the glass had once been smashed but the glass had been repaired in an attempt to protect the stuffed animals they hide.
“Jamie, why are you here?” Kathy asked again, louder.
For a moment it looked like Jamie wasn't going to hear her again but, slowly her friend turned to her.
“Oh, yeah.” Jamie murmured, remembering why she had come there.
Jamie's eyes had suddenly darkened and, as she turned to Kathy, her friend could guess what she was about to say. It definitely wasn't just a friend checking up on another.
“He's talking again.”
.
Vixen and Alex Johnson looked at Jamie and Kathy as they walked into the basement. It wasn't really a basement. It had once been a store room then a prison then part of a museum. Now it was lovingly known as the basement of Hotspot 17B. The basement was the size of the castle above. Even the smallest sound echoed around the immense room. Six large stone columns held up the ceiling with arched structures. The columns gave the room a mystical fell as well as strengthening the idea that any second the castle could end up in ruins. Electric lights hung from the ceiling and a damp feeling hung in the air. No attempts had been made to keep the basement dry but there was little they could have done if they had tried. Vixen was going over the old museum boards that had once covered the walls, reading them and absorbing the facts. The walls were now bare and stone. They were covered with scratches and the cobbles were chipped. One side of the room was packed with exhibits so closely packed none of them could really be seen. Most of them were from the basement but others had been moved down from the other exhibit rooms to make space for living quarters. Despite the protests of Alex, Vixen and Jamie, they pieces that couldn't be used as weapons or to further help their cause were pretty much abandoned.
“Alex, could you go and check on Tyrone?” Jamie asked. “He's in the bedroom.”
Alex beamed and nodded. He had short dark brown hair that was mostly brushed to one side. He was sharpening one of his twin daggers with the other. He slipped his daggers into the spaces in his belt and went to leave.
“Good luck with him.” Alex said, nodding towards the solid stone floor.
Then Alex was gone. Vixen looked at Jamie and Kathy with a smile. She could sense adventure coming off Jamie. Kathy took more of a back seat in their adventures.
Vixen had lighter brown hair that was pulled back in a high pony tail. Her eyes shone with black glints and she constantly carried her bow with arrows strapped to her back. Jamie and Vixen were both archers but Jamie had left her bow in the bedroom.
“Sit.” Vixen said.
Jamie bounded over and leapt beside her friend.
“We're waiting for Tommy.” Vixen added.
Kathy shook her head. She studied both of their friends and they discussed the facts on the boards. Hotspot 17B was one of the few bases that survived. 
A Hotspot was a base with survivors in. A Coldspot was a base where all the survivors had died or left. Most of the Hotspots had become Coldspots by 3058.
It was now 4287. Hotspot 17B had been set up in 3192. It had been a museum before, a museum shoved inside the structure of a castle. Hotspot 17B was home to nine survivors. Survivors of what... Well, Kathy didn't want to think of it.
“You're waiting because you don't have the key.” Tommy said, appearing in the doorway to the stone basement.
Tommy Winchester was a nineteen year old giraffe of a man. He was over six foot tall. He had blonde hair with darker strips on his head and a handsome, strong face with a soft blonde goatee beginning to form, despite Tommy's best efforts to make time to shave. His long arms and legs were thick with muscle. A smile crossed his lips as he looked at them all.
Tommy pulled a key from around his neck and walked forwards towards a thick metal grille that blocked an arched stone corridor. The shiny metal key slid into the lock and there was a clang as it turned.
“Jamie, where is your bow?”
“In the bedroom.” Jamie answered with respect.
Tommy was their leader. He was the oldest person who was suitable for the job and the person they all trusted. 
“Vixen, go in front. Jamie, make sure he can't get Kathy or get out. Kathy, have you got the serum?”
“No. I'll go and get it.” Kathy said.
Tommy nodded and Kathy began to hurry away. The sound of her feet hammering up the stone steps echoed around. Tommy studied Vixen and Jamie.
“Tomorrow, you're joining Lockie on a hunt, right?”
“Yeah.” Vixen said.
“Yep.” Jamie agreed.
Tommy smiled.
“How's Tyrone?” he asked.
“He's okay. He's been having nightmares but...”
Tommy nodded and opened the door further.
“Jamie, wait up here for Kathy. Bring her down when she shows up again.”
Tommy and Vixen looked nervously at each other and then began to make their way down the corridor.
.
If there was one place in Hotspot 17B that Tommy hated the most, it was the dungeons. It was a dark gloomy place where the electricity from their overly hard working generator didn't always reach. About two-thirds of the dungeons were locked and stayed locked.
One third had been added more recently. The cells were small and there was a colder feeling in that section. You felt like you deserved to be in the cells and at the same time that you should never set foot in that dark section of the castle again. It had been added for prisoners taken after the creatures had taken over but Tommy had ordered that anyone they fought were to be sent away, not held prisoner.
The other locked section, had been locked long before Tommy had been born. It was a spiralled square of cells of odd sizes. Corridors led to dead ends and even the generator didn't dare send it's electricity into it. The place had been designed to drive sane prisoners insane but had had a very similar effect on the guards.
Out of the one third that Tommy used, there were wider corridors, better lights and less violent history. The lights that they had fitted to the ceiling still flickered and cast dark shadows but it wasn't enough to completely terrify. The air was alive with the feeling of death but it wasn't as strong as the rest of the dungeons. You could travel around in that section without feeling like you had crossed from the land of the living.
Vixen had her bow out and was leading the way. She had to keep taking deep breaths, refusing to show her nerves. She knew no one would think less of her for turning and running from the dungeons but there was a moral obligation in their group. If you were capable of doing something, you did it, no matter how hard it was. Vixen stopped in front of a large, slightly rusty, metal door and took a deep breath preparing herself. She ran encouraging phrases through her head but also made a promise to control her actions. She knew that if she didn't control herself, if she attacked him for no reason, it wouldn't just be her getting punished.
Tommy pulled out another key. It was attached to a string and spent it's time around Tommy's neck. The young man trusted no one with it. He couldn't. Studying the key for longer than a second, Tommy slid it into the lock.
“Brace yourself.” Tommy advised as he opened the door.
Behind the door was a stone walled room. The almost grey stone was littered with scratches in the rock, messages from the people who had been held in there before. There was a bed, a sink and a toilet. The floor was littered with pages ripped from books that Tommy and the others had given to the prisoner. Standing in the centre of his cell, studying the two with dark green eyes, was a man. He was dressed in torn black overalls and his feet were bare. He was only forty but he looked a lot older. His hair completely white and his face so badly lined with wrinkles it looked permanently scrunched up. A smile graced his lips.
“Hello.” he said.
“Adams, sit down.” Tommy ordered.
“Where's little Tyrone?” Adams asked. “And Poppy? And Kathy? And Jamie? And Alex? And Lockie?”
Adams began to mumble to himself. Vixen walked into the room, pointing her box at him.
“Jamie and Kathy are coming so don't try anything.”
“I haven't seen Tyrone in such a long time.” Adams said. “Has he grown? Must be funny raising a boy who can't stop screaming. How do you understand him? Surely all screams sound the same? Jamie's a liar. Tommy's a liar. Vixen's a liar. Does Tyrone know? Do the creatures want to eat him? Does it hurt?”
“Does what hurt?”
“The bite? The bite, does it hurt?”
“You're the one who was bitten, Adams.” Tommy said.
He hated this. He couldn't stand it. Adams' voice echoed around. It was so childish, so confused, and yet Tommy knew that Adams understood a lot more than any of them ever could. He understood the creatures in such a way that... Adams would probably be a lot happier outside.
“Should have been Lockie. Should have been Lockie. Should have been Lockie.” Adams repeated in a singsong voice.
Vixen watched Tommy's reaction but kept Adams out of the corner of her eye. The man turned away from the two of them, muttering under his breath about creatures and people and bodies.
“Could have been Tommy. Could have been Tommy. Could have been Tommy.” Adams said, following the same rhythm as his previous chant.
That was when Tommy snapped. The nineteen year old was always hard to read. It was impossible to see the anger building up in him until he snapped and it burst out of him.
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Tommy shouted.
He knew the rest of the song. He knew the next line. He didn't want to hear it. Tommy looked away from Adams and turned to the wall, resting his forehead against the cool stone in a hope of cooling his burning head ache.
“She was so happy. Her and Tyrone. Her body smiled too. It was strange. One minute she was laughing, the next screaming and the next nothing. Then Jamie. She was the same. One minute she was laughing, the next screaming and shouting and the next you found me.”
Vixen remembered the moment four years ago. The screaming she had heard. The screaming and the crying and the fighting. The reason Adams was locked up.
Then Kathy came in. She was closely followed by Jamie but Jamie hung by the door, refusing to enter the room.
“He's still as mad as ever.” Tommy spat, looking back at Adams.
Kathy frowned. She knew what she had to do. She glanced back at Jamie, who could barely even look at the man. When the girl's brown eyes did fall upon him, they were angry, terrified and pitiful all at the same time. Kathy could understand why.
“Perhaps you should take Jamie to the surface.” Kathy said, looking at Tommy.
“Oh, Jamie. Jamie. Jamie. Jamie.” Adams began to sing in an eerie tone, his head and gaze slowly turning to Jamie.
His dark eyes pinpointed on her.
“Would have been Louise. Would have been Louise. Would have been Louise.” he sung.
“Stop it.” Jamie said, quietly. “Stop it.”
Tommy walked over to Jamie and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Come on.”
Then they walked away. Adams watched them go, smiling at the echoing footsteps.
“Just give him his dose and let us get outta here.” Vixen growled to Kathy.
She hated the way that Adams treated them all. It wasn't right. They had to treat him with respect, the most he could do was at least make it easier for them to not cross the line.
Kathy pulled a needle out of her pocket and looked at Vixen and then at Adam.
“This won't hurt a bit.”
.
Kathy and Vixen walked into their sleeping room, a room they referred to as the bedroom. It had once been an art gallery and the extremely old impressionist art hung from the walls. The long rectangle room had two lines of beds on each side, press against the walls so the wall acted like a headboard. To the left of every bed was a make-shift table. The tables were littered with odd things: old battered note books, handmade hairbrushes and carved wooden toys. The beds were really just wooden frames with cloths stretched across them. There were twelve beds and four of them were occupied. Three of them had sleeping occupants; one of them had a boy sitting on. The boy who was awake was holding a rickety home-made ukulele. He had thick hair that was a dusty blonde colour. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. His face had a sort of charm that Tommy's lacked. It wasn't as handsome as their group's leader but his face held more realistic features. He was the sort of young man who could catch someone's eye but not seem so perfect a relationship with him was impossible. He was a year older than Vixen and Kathy. His name was Lockie Winchester and he was Tommy's younger brother. His music danced around the stone walled room.
Jamie was kneeling beside one of the beds. Sleeping in it was Tyrone Penton. He was five and his slightly chubby hands were clutching a knitted teddy bear. His hair was dark and his closed eyes shone blue when he was awake. His skin was pale colour as he rarely went outside but it only added to his perfect cherub features. His face was dotted with freckles which were a family trait. His peaceful sleep made everything about the world seem just a bit more absurd. He was Jamie's cousin and her responsibility. She was his next of kin and she cared for him immensely.
Alex was in the bed next to Tyrone, sleeping but on the side of the bed that meant he could leap and help Tyrone if needed.
Across the room was Poppy Matthews. She was asleep and her dark brown hair almost coated the pillow beneath her head. She was thirteen and slept with her hand half resting on the sword she always kept with her. A scar danced from the bottom of her neck to the middle of her left cheek. She looked a fraction older than she should. The contours of her face were laced with beauty and she had a gentle smile on her lips.
Tommy was walking down the room to meet them. He had his axe in his hand, having clearly been working on carving his initials into it. He had already done it before but he kept feeling the need to deepen them, to, like some sort of territorial male, mark what was his.
“Is he out?” Tommy asked.
Kathy nodded. She had given Adams the anaesthetic that allowed him to be subdued. When he was in one of his moods, it was best to just let him sleep. Normally Adams was silent, thinking and occasionally muttering. When he spoke, he screamed death threats and hatred.
“Kathy, wake Alex, could you two do look out?”
“Wouldn't it be better if I did it?” Jamie asked, nodding towards her bow that rested on her bed.
Kathy was more of the group's medic. She helped them out more with treatments of injuries and keeping their castle in order.
“No. You, Vixen and Lockie are going out hunting tomorrow. You need a rest.” Tommy told her with a scolding look.
Vixen and Jamie sighed and Vixen began to head to her bed. Jamie smiled and kissed two of her fingers, pressing them against Tyrone's forehead. She had been caring for him for four years. He was pretty much her son.
Kathy looked nervously at Tommy. She didn't like going out onto the roof, especially not at night. Jamie woke Alex before she walked back to her bed and began to check her arrows. Both her and Vixen made their own. They had learnt the skill from a young age but knew that every arrow they had made needed to be checked thoroughly. Any mistake could cost them or their friends their lives.
“Come on.” Alex said with a yawn, tucking his daggers into his pocket.
.
The roof was a particularly scary place. There were lights fitted onto the top from the olden days but given the amount of creatures who could fly, they were never turned on at night. There were guard rails to protect people up there and the battlements, what was left of them, provided some protection. The sun was setting to mark the end of a summer's night and it cast its light across the city below them. Hotspot 17B had been, like many castles, built on a hill overlooking a city. The city had stayed and grown and modernised until it's abandonment in roughly 2874. It was now in ruins, destroyed by fighting and hunting. No one lived down there to maintain it. In fact the whole city was pretty much only inhabited by the nine occupants of Hotspot 17B.
Kathy didn't like the look of the city. While the others would look upon it and be inspired to survive, she just saw it as a sign of the inevitable.
Alex liked the view. She could see the past as it had been. She liked to journey in the ruins but Tommy rarely let the whole team go out at once.
“Have you ever wondered if the people of the past looked upon the ruins and been jealous of the way they lived?” Alex asked.
Kathy looked down and they heard the growling roar of a creature in the ruins. Kathy looked away from the city while Alex studied it, searching for the creature.
“I think the people who live down there are rather jealous of us.” Kathy said, referring to the creatures that lived around them.
 

~~“Help me! No! Help!”
The screams echoed around the bedroom. It was Tommy who was up first. He got up and canned the room, grabbing torch from the side. It was a wind up torch that meant they didn't need to waste batteries. Tommy scanned the room. He could see Tyrone thrashing about in bed, crying out in fear.
Tommy guessed it was nearly day time as he saw Kathy was attempting to wake up Jamie. Jamie didn't sleep much but when she did, she couldn't be woken.
Suddenly Jamie was awake. She only needed to hear Tyrone's cries before she leapt from bed and bounded to his side.
“Tyrone, calm down. Take a deep breath. Go on, calm down. I'm here.”
She half picked Tyrone up and kissed his forehead.
“Are you going out, Jamie?” he asked, tears swelling in his eyes. “Out hunting?”
“Aunty Poppy's going to look after you.” Jamie said slowly with a nod. She had never been able to lie to Tyrone and she didn't see the point. He was so innocent, so perfect. If she lied to him what was to stop him from beginning to do exactly the same thing to everyone else.
Silently, Poppy glided forwards. Tyrone's anxious eyes fell upon her but he gained a slight sense of reassurance when she placed her soft hand on his shoulder, comfortingly.
“Is Vixey going?” Tyrone asked, looking over Jamie's shoulder than Vixen.
Even he knew that Vixen and Jamie worked together better than any other team. At five he knew that if he wanted to be sure to see his cousin again, she and Vixen had to be working together.
Across the room, Tommy walked over to his younger brother. Lockie was studying his sword, checking every inch to make sure he could use it properly. He checked the metal and glared at each chip and scratch, making sure they wouldn't affect how easy it was for him to use it.
“Don't take unnecessary risks.” Tommy said.
Neither of them needed pleasantries. They had past that stage long ago. Tommy had been the leader of the base since he had been fifteen. His young brother had been his second in command since then. They had had to trust each other with their lives, dreams, strengths and fears over the time. They didn't need pleasantries; everything they could say with pleasantries they could say better with their actions of loyalty.
“Almost sounded as if you were worried we would get hurt.” Lockie said with a light smirk.
He knew the dangers. He had been there when... When Adams had become what he was now.
“There's a band of Pinnas on the high street. If you let Vixen and Jamie get high enough, you could probably catch a good deal there.”
“I was thinking about heading down to the residential area, see if there's anything we can salvage from the wreckages.”
“Too dangerous.” Tommy said, quickly. “According to Alex there's a mother Igu down there and she could have laid.”
Lockie suddenly realised how they were talking. They address the creatures that they lived in fear of with such distaste and hatred. The creatures were only doing what they had to survive, just like them. Deep down, despite his noble thinking, Lockie knew that he would still kill a creature, even if it was doing what it's instincts told it to.
Vixen was checking over her arrows and watching the others. Alex and Kathy had moved over to Tommy to tell him what they had seen while they had been on look-out duty. Lockie was taking all the information he heard in, knowing that if he slipped up it wasn't just his life on the line but Vixen's and Jamie's.
Vixen watched her friend with a spark of jealously. Vixen's parents had, like Jamie's, been killed in the battle of Coldspot 12B, eight years ago. Vixen had been raised by the others but she stilled longed for biological family. Jamie had Tyrone who cared so deeply about her that he would cry if Jamie was even a few minutes late back from hunting. She had someone who depended upon her but didn't mind if she depended on them. Right at that moment, Jamie was using Tyrone's fears to not only assure him but herself. She was telling him nothing would go wrong and if it did Poppy would look after him. Poppy often cared for Tyrone, simply because she was so good at it. She knew everything about his care but Vixen knew that Jamie had probably already explained it to her for what could have been the millionth time.
Then Tommy drew away from the group and walked into the centre of their bedroom chamber.
“Lockie, Vixen, Jamie. I think it's time to go.”
.
Tyrone clung off Tommy's side as the nineteen year old walked towards the large solid doors that separated them from the outside. The doors were made from oak that had once crumbled and moulded. They had replaced the door wood, reinforcing it with metal sheet. Despite this, the signs of the past remained. Metal pyramids about ten centimetres across protruded from the door and a large latch stopped it from being opened. The latch was hooked up to a lock, made of metal and opened by fingerprint. The lock was one of the strongest locks every created and it needed to be. If the lock failed then they died. Alex and Kathy walked over to a large wooden post that they kept jammed across the doorway, as another defence. Before she had died, Louise had dug into the stone to make sure the post stayed in place just to make the base even safer than it had been before. Both Alex and Kathy strained against the post, trying to move it so their friends could get out safely. Soon it gave and they were able to move it to the side.
“B'bye Jamie.” Tyrone said, reaching out to her and pulling her into a hug.
Jamie smiled and took Tyrone. She stood there for a minute, like a mother cradling their child. Tyrone understood there was no need to talk at that moment. He could felt Jamie's heart beat as he placed his head on her shoulder.
“Keep him safe.” Jamie instructed Tommy and Poppy as she handed back that baby.
Then she produced and arrow and nocked it, getting ready to fire at any creatures that might have been on the doorstep to the castle. Lockie and Vixen both prepared themselves in their own style. Lockie held his sword up, the blade held at eye level and flat so he could see around it without any difficulty. Vixen, like Jamie, positioned her first arrow along the bow string so she was ready to loose it.
The three glanced back at their friends, offering them weak smiles. The smiles promised their owners would be brave, careful and alert but also warned that this might not be enough.
Then the door was opened. As soon as the door opened, it was a race to get it shut. Alex and Tommy rested by the door, getting ready to push it shut behind their friends.
'Good luck.' Tommy mouthed to his brother.
Lockie nodded back. He didn't believe in luck but he knew that every bit of help they could get was important.
.
Dark eyes watched from the city at the opening door. Great excitement sparked in their eyes as they saw the figures making their way down the ruined steps that ran up to castle. The castle was a large cube with two towers sprouting from the top. What was left of a flag pole swayed in the breeze, having been snapped long ago. The castle's windows weren't reinforced but many of then had been boarded up from the inside. The castle was on a hill, nearly always visible in the city. It was a safe haven for anyone who needed a place to stay but also a reminder of the human survival ability that people constantly argued no longer existed. The figure studied the castle and the teenagers who had left it. A smile crossed their face and they backed into the shadows the ruins cast.
.
The first version of the castle had been built for the river than ran straight through the heart of the city and a small village had formed around it. The castle had been made mostly of wood and the village had consisted of a few small houses and a handful of farms. Then the castle had been burnt down and rebuilt and the village had grown to a small town. After each set back, the castle had improved and the city gotten bigger and better. In the thirty-second century, the city – Weston Market – had been the most important trading city in the south of England. If you wanted to make money, you set up a business in Weston Market. That had been before the creatures. Now everything in Weston Market was in ruins, everything except the castle. As Lockie, Vixen and Jamie scanned the ruins from the castle steps, it seemed impossible that the city could every do as it had done in the past: recover.
As far as the eye could see were the ruins of the city. Old houses had crumbled; streets were marked with blood and rubble and claw marks and other things that the teenagers didn't want to think about. There was smoke rising from where there had once been a shopping centre and the fire was just visible behind the ruins of buildings. Whole streets had caved in in some places and the occasional standing structure looked like a gust of wind could topple it. Plants, trees and vines grew amongst the buildings and climbed them, nature beginning to reclaim its land. In the distance, flying creatures swooped and swirled, making beautiful patterns in the sky. The very sight of the city sent shivers down the spines of the teenagers. They saw it every time they went out to hunt which could be as often as once a week and yet they still weren't prepared. It was like looking at a beautiful haunted house. There was a tragic history in each building, each corner, each shadow, and there was also the beauty of this all being natural. It was the natural decay of centuries. There was the rotting smell of death and decay hanging in the air so thick it was hard to breathe. Suddenly their ears were filled with the sound of a hunting growl. It echoed around the streets and rung through the air. It was so pure, so instinctive, but it was the last sound some people had heard. Heat hit them like waves and the baking sun aimed relentless light at them. Beads of sweat began to form across the foreheads of the teenagers. They had grown up used to the heat but the castle offered some protection. Outside they were exposed. Lockie slid on his sunglasses to protect his eyes while the two girls used their hands to shield their eyes.
Lockie turned to Vixen and Jamie who both stared, breathlessly at the city below them. It had that effect on people, Lockie had learnt over time, and it was better just to keep moving and do the job. If you got caught up in the views, you weren't alert.
They were all prepared for time outside. Lockie had a packed rucksack slung over his back. Vixen and Jamie had satchel bags on so they could easily reach their arrows but still carry supplies.
“We need a catch, that shouldn't be hard. We'll head to the Winston mall and you two can go up to the roof. I'll keep low and draw something in.”
Vixen and Jamie nodded and they began down the steps. After half a minute had passed, the steps were empty. The teenagers had turned left down a back alley.
Then a figure, darting in erratic movements to hide their existence as best as possible, zipped across the empty entrance to the stairs and chased after the teenagers, hunting them like a predator.
.
Tommy walked into the operations room. It had once been the staff room and it had become the operations room simply because the people who had first made it a Hotspot had not had the time to move the CCTV equipment from the room. Now a large black panel was resting next to the dying old computers that controlled the CCTV system. Having complete trust in his team, Tommy never used the CCTV system and made sure no one else did. He would only use it if they were in danger, if a creature got in or, and this could possibly be worse, Adams got out.
Tommy scanned the room, checking it was empty. There was old furniture and a fridge that had been emptied long ago. The lights were dim and flickered and there were files that had been raided when the place had been turned into a base. The papers had been burnt to provide heat for the early survivors.
Tommy's eyes fell onto the desk. It was covered in cracks and had been repaired many times. Tommy could remember in his life time actually rebuilding the desk after it had been smashed when a creature had got into the base. On the desk were a few notebooks with records in and a large glass panel that had a black tint. Tommy switched on the panel by pressing his large hand in the centre. A blue circle formed around his hand as it was scanned. His name appeared beside his hand, saying it had registered who he was.
Once a month, Tommy had to report to the High Council. They were in charge of all the Hotspots and they liked to know which bases they could depend upon.
“Hello, Winchester.” a disembodied voice said.
Then a blue wire frame hologram screen rose up from the thin black panel. It showed a woman with pinched features: a sharp nose, piercing eyes and bony cheeks.
“Hello, Minister.” Tommy said with respect.
“What is your report?”
“Everyone in the base is healthy; Kathy has a full range of medical supplies. Adams began to talk again yesterday but has so far made no attempt to escape. Lockie, Vixen and Jamie are outside, hunting. The others are inside completely their normal duties.”
“Good.” the Minister said.
There was a blip as the panel received a message. Tommy didn't reach for the blue flashing icon, wanting to finish his meeting before opening it.
“You just received a file about the location of a large pack of Under Valley agents. They were spotted at Hotspot 15B and were heading north, we presume to Hotspot 17B. The High Council is unsure of their aims but we believe you need to stay alert. I don't need to remind you about the battle of Coldspot 12B.”
Tommy gulped. He didn't need reminding. He already knew about the battle. Jamie and Vixen had been orphaned by it, Alex had lost his older brother and Tommy's late father had fought in it. He had heard the tales from the battle and he wanted none of it to be repeated to anyone, especially not his friends.
“Thank you, for the warning.” Tommy nodded.
A slight frown stroked his face when his voice cracked with fear. He didn't like showing fear, not to anyone. He was the leader of a team of a handful of brilliant teenagers, if he showed fear, then someone else could be made leader and they could put his team in danger. That scared Tommy. He couldn't lose his team; they were his family.
.
Lockie picked his way through the alleyway. He led the way, holding a small hand-held device. The device was small and made of black tinted glass but it differed from Tommy's in its small size and the writing and patterns that swirled across it were red. A holographic map of the city hovered in the air above the device and Lockie studied it. He had been out into the city most but that didn't mean he knew his way around it completely.
Behind him, Vixen was glancing at all of the plants. She had been through every medical book Kathy had been sent to train from and knew which plants were poisonous. The plants were monstrous, mutated and deadly. A large climber slithered it's away up a building, tightening it's grip on the structures of the wall. The leaves of the particular climber she was examining were the size of a person's head and the shape of a snake's head. They were deep green in colour and folded up when touched. In the centre of each leaf was a bunch of berries almost as if they were grapes. The berries were a light red, looking delicious and juicy. Despite having a sour taste, the berries had medicinal qualities and would be useful to Kathy. Vixen opened her satchel and pulled out a small plastic bag to keep the berries in. She reached behind her and, in one go, managed to snag an arrow. Bringing it forwards, Vixen readied the point. She made sure not to touch the leaf so it didn't curl up on her hand and trap her. With the speed of lightening, Vixen cut the almost reptilian vine to the berries. Her hand shot back and she smiled at her prize.
“Berries, huh?” Jamie said, walking past and grabbing a few.
Without even looking at them, she took a bite out of one. Vixen gleefully registered the moment of shock as Jamie took in the sour taste. She gasped and gulped and spat out the berry.
“Are you sure these aren't poisonous?” Jamie hissed.
She knew that if she had been too loud then the creatures would be able to find them.
“Just sour.” Vixen assured her friend in a similar tone.
Lockie looked back at them and watched as Jamie continued to try and empty her mouth. He shook his head, unsure how to react. He normally went out hunting with Vixen and Jamie but he was not used to their behaviour in the calm between fights. Most of the time they were fighting the creatures when they hunted.
They were about to move on when Lockie raised his hand to stop them. The girl looked at him strangely but understood that there was something there. They raised their bows in different directions, covering them from all sides.
“Can you hear that buzzing sound?” Lockie murmured.
The girls listened and both nodded. A faint buzzing sound flew from somewhere in the rubble. The could all guess what it would be and also that they would probably be killed if they fought it.
“Get into hiding.” Lockie ordered.
With blind obedience, the two girls ducked into a pile of rubble, crouching down. They knew better than to take on the beast that was coming their way. Lockie vanished behind a wall and unsheathed his sword, ready to defend himself. He slowly looked around the wall at the creature as it landed in the alleyway just where he and the girls had been seconds before hand.
A large striped, almost armoured, thorax came to a stop in the alleyway. Beneath the hard thorax were three pairs of flexible thin legs and that bent as they landed. Above it, four large, dark wings were beating rapidly in the air, creating the persistent buzzing that had altered the teenagers. The wings were razor thin but as strong as steel. A hardened joint fixed the thorax to the abdomen, which blurred yellow and black as it flicked around. At its end was a sting tipped with such power that it would knock a human out in seconds and leave them delirious and hallucinating even after they woke up. The other end of its thorax joined to its monstrous head. Two sharp mandibles snapped together with their sharp points clashing. They were the gateway to the creature's ferocious bone crushing jaws that opened sideways. Two purely black eyes scanned the rubble, searching for prey and four black antenna licked at the air.
Lockie glanced at where the girls were hiding. If they moved out they would be stung and then taken to the wasp's hive to be eaten. It was a fate Lockie didn't want anyone to have.
Suddenly the wasp looked around. It's antenna twitched as it searched the air. Lockie held his breath. If that thing had sensed one of his team then they were all in danger.
It hadn't sensed anyone from the team. A hooded figure moved slowly out of the shadows. The pulled back their hood to reveal long straight brown hair. Their skin was tanned from over exposure to the sunlight and their eyes were pure black. The figure was clearly a girl from their face but Lockie, the only one who could see, didn't recognise her. She reached to her back where the handles of two swords hovered and drew them. She eyed the glinting metal with a smile, raising them towards the beast. She studied the wasp, attempting to predict it's next move.
Lockie read the movement the wasp was making within seconds. The creature was twitching it's tail excitedly, a ploy so that it's sudden strike would not be recognised until it was too late. It was going to sting the girl once it had found its chance. Lockie guessed it would make a move soon and he wanted the girl out of the way. He raced out from behind the wall and out into the open, speeding towards the girl.
The wasp was startled by the sudden movement to its left as a boy dressed in green and brown clothes sprinted out. The boy made his way over the rubble with the agility of a gazelle. The wasp reacted like whiplash after deciding that the girl, his non-moving prey, would be an easier target.
Lockie leapt at the girl and brought her down with a rugby tackle. He watched as the wasp flew towards them and then over them, misjudging the distance since his prey was no longer standing. The whiz of air ripped the breath from the lungs of Lockie and the girl.
Lockie pulled his own sword out and raised it as the wasp came back. He didn't bother getting up.
The wasp was circling back around and the girl angled her swords upwards like Lockie did. The wasp flew above them, buzzing around and trying to get past the swords. It swung it's abdomen madly, hoping to catch something.
The girl was briefly aware of a yelp of pain from Lockie before the world became a mad series of buzzes and shouts. Neither the girl or Lockie were shouting and the girl briefly wondered what was happening.
Handfuls of rocks and rubble began to be thrown against the wasp. Some broke on impact, scattering dust over the girl and Lockie. She coughed at the dust but Lockie remained motionless. The dust blocked the wasp from view several times but it was constantly there.
“Shoot it, Vix...!” came a shout from somewhere away from the wasp.
The girl couldn't understand it. Her heart was racing and she could barely keep focus on anything but the wasp. She pressed herself against the dusty floor, hoping that the few centimetres of increased distance could be the difference between life and death.
A yellow liquid dropped onto the girl's hand and she froze. For a moment she thought it was some sort of poison. It wasn't. It was blood.
The wasp turned from the girl and Lockie, looking at it's attackers. Jamie and Vixen both brought up their bows. They both fired arrows, one flint tipped arrow hitting the wasp in the jaw, the other hitting it in the chest. The wasp looked at Jamie and Vixen for a moment, flying towards them with a mad swipe. Vixen and Jamie dived behind a pile of rubble and waited for the buzzing to fade away.
The girl stood up first. She was about to run when an arrow hit into the wall next to her.
“I think we deserve an explanation.” Vixen said.
“I think we need to check on Lockie first.” Jamie breathed, having gone whiter than usual.
She moved forwards and looked at the boy. He was coated in dirt, some from what the creature had whipped up but most of it was from the girls showing rubble and stones at it to distract it. He was unconscious which could have come from a head wound if the actual cause wasn't so clear. The boy had a large seeping wound in his arm. It bled lightly, the toxins in the creature's venom slowing the blood flow so the victim didn't drain away before they were eaten.
“Oh man.” Jamie breathed, pressing her fingers against Lockie's neck. “He's been stung.”
She could fell a weak pulse and it was reassuring but it didn't help them much. Lockie might not wake up for hours and they needed to get him back to the castle or somewhere to recover so the wound didn't get infected.
Vixen walked up behind Jamie and pulled off her bag.
“Lets see what Kathy's packed us today.” Vixen said.
She searched for a few minutes before retrieving a few bandages and began to bandage Lockie's wound. Jamie watched with concern and checked Lockie over for any other injuries.
The girl watched them for a few seconds and then decided that the two could survive on their own. She began to walk away when Jamie snapped her fingers. The girl turned back and looked at the two of them.
“Where are you going?” Jamie asked.
“Somewhere.” the girl answered.
“You're not going anywhere.” Jamie growled.
Normally hunts like this were simple. They went in, they did their job and then they got out. This girl had put Lockie in danger. She wasn't going anywhere until they had an explanation.
Before the girl had chance to protest, a harsh buzzing sounded in the air.
“He's brought a pack to help him collect his meal.” the girl said, scanning the air.
She couldn't see any wasps yet but they were still in the area and they were probably making a bee-line to where they were.
“We need to get to cover.” Vixen said.
“Come with me.” the girl instructed, beginning to move away.
“That's not the way to the castle.” Vixen said as she scooped up Lockie.
She was holding Lockie's sword but it wouldn't be much use if they were attacked and she was holding Lockie. She walked over to Jamie and let Jamie take her arrows out of the pouch so Jamie had enough to made sure she could defend them.
“This place is closer.” the girl said and disappeared around the corner.
Vixen and Jamie watched her go and then a smile spread across Jamie's face.
“You know she could be leading us into a trap.”
“Yeah.”
“So we're going to follow her.”
“Absolutely.”
.
Poppy landed silently in front of Tommy.
“What where you doing?” Tommy asked.
“I climbed the wall and sat in the rafters.” Poppy with was a smug smile.
She liked climbing and the walls of the castles with their uneven stones and cracked cement made an excellent climbing wall.
“Why?” Tommy asked, picking up his axe that he had left outside the staff room.
He turned it in his hand, using the reflection to check that no more of the castle's residents were in the rafters.
“I see better from a distance.” the girl answered in a mock ominous tone.
Tommy shook his head but smiled. There was a way that his team acted, the way they kept moral up just by simply acting the way they would in any other situation. They made it actually bearable. Tommy didn't think he would be able to cope spending every day of his life with any other group of people but his team.
“Shouldn't you be looking after Tyrone?” Tommy asked, seeing the lack of a trailing five year old.
“He's with Kathy. He's helping her go through all her papers.” Poppy explained. “So what were you doing?”
“Reporting to the High Council.” Tommy answered.
He felt the need to tell someone about the Under Valley agents. He looked at Poppy and decided to keep it to himself until he ha come up with a concrete plan.
“So what have you been doing?” Tommy asked, making sure it was a slightly relevant change of subject.
“I found some fact boards from the Vikings exhibit. Some of them were about these two guys called Thor and Loki who were gods and they had all these adventures and...”
Tommy sighed. As much as he was interested in history, he didn't have time to focus on the past. The present and the future caused him enough problems.
“Why don't you go an talk to Jamie about it?” Tommy asked.
“Well Jamie and the others aren't back yet.”
“What?”
Tommy knew the group. He knew them very well. They should have been back by then.
“We need to try and reach them.”

~~Vixen placed Lockie down on one of the pews. They were in an old church. There was only one room but that was very large. The front had an alter on it and there was a stone urn in the centre where christenings had once taken place. The stain glass windows were boarded up from the outside so the dull patterns couldn't be seen but also couldn't be destroyed. The church had two entrances. A pair of grand double doors made of thick wood that had figures carved into them and a much smaller door near the front of the church that seemed to have been made of wooden planks secured with two thin bands of metal. The girl had lead them to the large church. It was clearly the girl had been living there for some time. There were old clothes piles up on one pew and books on another. There was a set of hooks that suggested that the girl's twin swords had been hung there before. Jamie was talking to the girl.
“So what's your name?”
The girl didn't answer.
“My name is Jamie.” Jamie said, trying to draw out an answer.
Again the girl didn't answer. Jamie looked towards the books. They were tatty but they were also rather complex.
“You raided the school.” Jamie surmised. “The school is full of Vee-gaa grubs.”
“You're lucky they weren't what bit your friend.” the girl said. “Vee-gaa grubs have such a powerful venom that a victim is driven insane within hours.”
Jamie stiffened at the mentions of the effects. Vixen noticed it, picked up on her friend's nervousness and completely understood it.
“We've seen the effects.” Vixen said in the place of her friend. “Lockie's more than lucky.”
“And you are?”
“I'm Vixen and sleeping beauty is Lockie.”
“I'm Aden.” the girl introduced.
“Do you know what the wasp sting like that? Why not just do what bees do and eat where they find the victims?”
“A bee sting kills the bee and the victim. Wasps need live victims to feed to their eggs. They have a knock out venom in their sting. The venom causes hallucinations but it doesn't cause lasting damage. ”
“The wasps do that.” Vixen said dryly.
Jamie smirked and then turned to Aden.
“So what are you doing out here?” Jamie asked.
“Lots of things.” Aden answered almost defensively.
Vixen knew they weren't going to get anywhere on that front. She turned to look at Lockie. He was sleeping on the pew peacefully.
“We need to get him back. We have a medic back at our base; you could come with us.”
“And why would I do that?” Aden asked, examining her swords with a dangerous tone.
Jamie, who was closest to Aden, instinctively clamped her hand over her bow. She glanced at Vixen to make sure her friend knew what she was doing.
“It's safer.”
“Yeah. It can't be very safe living in the ruins of the city. How many times a day do you get attacked?”
Aden glanced up form her swords at the two of them.
“You two are in more danger than me. You followed a stranger into their domain with a injured friend that could, for all you know, be right next to a creature nest.” Aden said, sliding her swords away. “And the Under Valley are in the ruins.”
A spark of horror lit up Jamie and Vixen's eyes. They glanced at each other and Vixen grasped Lockie's sword tighter. Her hands had become sweaty at the mention of the Under Valley and it was a fight to keep the metal handle in her grasp.
“Surely you two are in more danger than me.”
“No.” Jamie said with faked confidence.
To show her faked confidence, she slipped out of her quiver and placed her bow into the pew beside her.
“And whys that?”
“Because we're here by choice.” Jamie said with an off-handed shrug. “If we thought we were in danger then we would have left.”
“Except you two enjoy danger.” Aden smiled. “You like the adrenaline rushing through your veins as your heart thunders and you feel more alive than ever.”
Aden's voice became rushed as it was clear she enjoyed it was well. Soon Jamie stopped listening to Aden describing the only reason she ever went out hunting.
She took in everything in the church. A distant tapping sound drifted through the air like someone was knocking against a door. The electric lights flickered. The grotesque faces carved into the end of the stone pews stared.
Wait, knocking...
Jamie felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins. Her heart began to thunder. She felt more alive than she had for the whole time they had been in the church.
Danger.
“Knock, knock.” Jamie sung in a singsong voice. “Who's there?”
She looked at the side door and then back at Vixen and Aden. They didn't look at her. Jamie paused and then took a step forwards.
She moved closer, leaving her bow and arrows on the pew behind her.
The knocking sounding again.
Two knocks.
Two very rhythmic, very real knocks.
Creatures don't knock.
Jamie placed her fist against the wood and felt the wood vibrate as two knocks hit against it. She bit her lip and drew her fist back.
She knocked three times.
Silence.
Jamie guessed she had imagined the knocks, guessed her mind had been playing tricks on her. The others hadn't heard them and...
Knock.
Knock!
KNOCK!
“There's something out there.” Jamie murmured.
“What did you say?” Vixen asked, turning to Jamie.
Jamie looked at her friend.
“There's something outside.”
Suddenly Vixen had her bow in her hand. She fished an arrow out of Jamie's full quiver and pointed an arrow at Jamie.
“What are you doing?” Jamie gasped.
Vixen could see the confusion in her friend's eyes. She kept the arrow trained on Jamie.
“Look at the door.” Aden instructed.
Jamie did as she was told.
Someone was trying to turn the handle.
Vixen's arrow was trained at the space near the door, at the space that the intruder would be in if they opened the door.
“Knock again.” Aden said, slowly.
Jamie turned to the door and knocked three times. Three knocks.
“We need to get out of here.” Aden snapped, turning and beginning to pack.
Jamie watched Aden rush around, picking up supplies.
“What will we do about Lockie?” she asked, watching Lockie.
Aden glanced up at Jamie and then looked at Vixen.
“Vixen, get your sleeping friend close to the front doors.”
“Okay.” Vixen said, lowering her bow.
Vixen moved over to Lockie and picked him up. As she moved him, she knocked Jamie's arrows and quiver onto the floor.
“Careful.” Jamie hissed.
Then Jamie realised she wasn't looking at the door. She felt something bump against her foot and gasped.
The door was open a fraction.
Jamie tried to slam it.
“Knock, knock.” a voice called from the other side.
Jamie's heart leapt into her mouth.
The creatures couldn't talk. None of them could. Only humans could talk.
“Under Valley.” Jamie breathed.
.
Tommy stormed into the main room and looked around. The main room on the first floor was the meeting room but also the room where they monitored hunting trips from and planned what they were going to do. It was a large stone walled room with a balcony looking over it from the second floor. A set of spiral stairs led down to the grand floor. In the centre of the room there was a long grand table that sat forty people. It spanned the length of the hall. The table had once been used for feasts but now it was used to help them with meetings. Papers and plans littered it and a large holographic panel was in the centre. Alex was standing beside it, working on it. He was updating a file on a creature. On the far side of the hall there was a net set up for badminton but no one was playing. Alex and Jamie had set it up a while back as a way of relieving stress for anyone who was working on a mission or planning one. Kathy was sitting at the far end of the table with Tyrone, sorting through papers. Tyrone wasn't paying much attention. He was using a quill to draw pictures. He was drawing crude, smiling stick figures of the group.
Poppy ran in, following Tommy. Tommy walked over to the panel.
“Alex, I need to contact the hunting party.” Tommy said with instruction in his voice.
“Okay.” Alex said with a nod, letting Tommy use the panel.
“What's wrong?” Kathy said, standing up.
“Is Jamie and Vixy back?” Tyrone asked, looking around nervously.
“Not yet, Tyrone.” Poppy said, looking at him.
She walked over to the rather small boy and pulled him against her. She knelt down and assured him that they were going to get Jamie and Vixen back.
Tommy began to work on the panel.
“They should have been back by now.” he told Alex. “Have there been any messages?”
“Nope.” Alex said.
“What about you, Kathy? Anything?”
“No.” Kathy said with a shake of her head.
Tommy worked at the panel. He couldn't see any messages. His fingers raced over the keyboard and he frowned.
“There's got to be a way of contacting the others. Alex, work on that.”
Alex nodded and looked at the panel, beginning to work at it. Tommy turned to Kathy.
“Something has happened. I know it has.”
“I'll prepare a medical bay.” Kathy said, about to rush off.
“Wait.” Tommy ordered.
“What's wrong?”
“If they come here while you're getting something ready, they could die. You need to be ready.”
Tommy ran his hands through his thick hair and breathed out. He was shaking with nervous energy. All he wanted was the others back. He knew there were dangerous things outside, especially if the Under Valley were outside.
“Um... Poppy, go with Kathy. Get it done quickly.”
Poppy nodded and squeezed Tyrone's hand. Tyrone looked at her and then at Tommy.
“What will we do, uncle Tommy?” Tyrone asked.
“We're going to wait.” Tommy answered sitting down and pulling Tyrone onto his lap.
He watched Alex work the comms and then pulled out a small hand held panel, attempting to pin point Lockie's version of the device.
.
The door hit against Jamie's back and thud echoed around. Vixen an Aden were almost ready to move. Vixen raced over to Jamie and handed her her bow and arrows. Jamie accepted them thankfully, moving away from the door for just a second to swing her quiver on.
“Take some arrows, Vix.” Jamie said, steeling her body against the door. “They could be out the front.”
“I'm good with a sword.” Vixen assured her friend.
She turned Lockie's sword in her hand to make a point but deep down she knew that if she came across one of the larger creatures or a trained member of the Under Valley she would probably need to revert back to her bow. She bit down her doubts before she turned to help Aden.
Jamie grabbed Vixen's arm as she went to move away. Fear lit her brown eyes as she glanced at Aden.
“If I don't...” Jamie began.
“I thought we agree not to have a sloppy set of last word.” Vixen said, with a weak smile. “At least not to each other.”
“Just make sure that thing stays secret, okay? Too many people know already.”
Vixen gasped but nodded. The secret would change everything in their team if it got out. Jamie was more than keen to make sure it didn't get out.
Aden walked over, a rucksack hung over her shoulders. She looked at Jamie and Vixen and then shifted her gaze so it was only on Jamie.
“Once we're out, give us five seconds and then run. Don't look back, just run.”
Jamie smiled.
“I'll give you ten, just to be on the safe side.”
Aden and Vixen both nodded and began to move away. They picked up Lockie and shifted towards the door. Lockie gave a slight moan.
“What happens if there's someone out the front?” Vixen breathed.
“We fight out way out.” Aden answered simply.
Jamie felt the door jolt again. She gripped the stone door frame and felt her knuckles turn white.
“Hey, Vix.” Jamie called with a forced smile.
“Yeah?” Vixen said, turning to face her friend.
“I'm beginning to think that being a danger addict isn't the safest thing in the world.”
Vixen managed a half hearted smile and then turned to Aden.
“Remember five seconds.” Aden told Jamie.
“Ten is a better number.” Jamie replied with a smug smirk.
Aden nodded slowly, looking at Vixen. Then they left. Jamie watched them go with a smile on her face.
As soon as they were gone, her smile disappeared. She listened to the echoing sound of the door closing. She took a deep breath and began to count.
“One.”
There was a thud and Jamie was almost thrown to the floor. She caught herself by gripping the door frame. Her hands rubbed against the rough tone. She closed her eyes and felt her body tense.
“Two.”
A pause.
Jamie dreaded the idea that they had moved, that they were going to find her friends.
A slam made Jamie's eyes open. She smiled.
“Three.”
Her smile faded as she felt the wood of the door splinter against her feet. She looked down and saw the wood of the door being smashed in.
“Oh no.”
She skipped four.
Suddenly the door was moved slowly forwards. Jamie tried to jam her heels into the gaps between the stones but her feet began to slide forwards.
“Five.” Jamie said. “That's a good enough number.”
She ran forwards and didn't look back. She opened the doors to the church and slammed them behind her.