Miles had never played a board game before, but it was perhaps one of the most fantastically uneventful things he'd done in his life.

When everything in the world was computers and microchips and electricity, it felt unnatural yet wonderful to dial back to a game that consisted of a board and playing pieces.

Miles' playing piece was a little metal cat.

It had previously been a dog, but Aaron had had the cat and Miles had requested the swap. So now, Miles was playing with the cat as his piece, and Aaron had the dog.

Miles was a cat person.

"What do the little house pieces do?" Eira asked, blinking at the green and red house-shaped pieces that sat in the box still.

"I think they make your place more expensive when people land on it," Lia answered, frowning over the instructions. "Like, people have to pay more rent or something."

The group had been playing Monopoly for an hour currently, and the rules had completely flown over Miles' head - he just went along with what he was told to do.

They'd spent the first half of the game with Lia and Miles explaining what had happened and who they'd met in the store, but then they'd eased into the process and started playing without worrying about anything else.

"Can I buy one?" Eira asked.

"No," Percy said, "You have to have the whole colour set."

Eira let out a dejected sigh. "But Miles has the other two properties in the colour set."

"I think there's a trading option," Lia said, still rifling through the instructions.

"Could I have those properties, Miles?" Eira asked. "If I like... pay you for them?"

Miles grinned and picked up the cards, holding them against his chest in both hands. "Nope, they're all mine."

Percy suddenly jumped. "Did you guys hear that?"

Miles put his cards back down. "Hear what?"

A scratchy, strangled cry pierced the air.

"That." Percy used his able arm to push himself to his feet, and everybody else followed suit just as quickly. "Is there a window in this place?"

The first floor was almost windows; the third floor had few. The second floor, which they were on now, had a fair amount of them, and yet Percy was still unable to locate one himself.

Lia jabbed her finger in the direction of one of the windows and Percy wasted no time staggering around the Monopoly board and racing towards the window. Miles turned and followed him at once as there was another muffled scream from outside.

Percy reached the window and slammed his hand against the button beside it. He stared at the blue-stained glass, waiting for the window to electronically slide open like it was meant to.

"You're such an idiot," Miles snapped. "We have no electricity."

"Oh!" Percy forgot about the button and leaned over to peer through the closed window, face so close his nose was nearly pressed against the glass.

Miles hopped up and down to try and see over the top of Percy's spiky black hair, and everybody else started to gather. Miles was pushed and shoved a little in the process of everyone attempting to get in a position where they could see through the window.

"What's happening?" Miles demanded, trying to poke his head under Aaron's arm so he could get a small view.

Eira made a small, horrified noise.

"Shit," said Lia.

"Tell me!" Miles finally just shoved Aaron aside - he received an unfriendly glare for that - and saw for himself what was going on. It was difficult to see since the window was tinted, but the rain had thankfully slowed and was hardly anything but a drizzle now. Outside, there was a commotion going on involving many people that were too small to be Altered and many people that were too big to be Unaltered.

Most of the former were on the ground, or about to end up there. "We have to go help!" Aaron said, taking his place back from Miles and letting the shorter boy stumble ungracefully off to the side. Miles narrowed his eyes, but didn't push back again - he didn't want to see anything else, anyway.

"Aaron, no," his sister objected, peering over his shoulder with a look of distraught. "The Altered will butcher us."

Aaron took a step back, knocking Eira back, and then pushed everybody else aside, freeing himself from the group and giving everybody more space. Miles didn't rejoin the huddle around the window.

"Aaron, what are you doing?" Miles asked exasperated as Aaron snatched up his bat from where it had been resting against the wall.

Aaron glanced at Miles but said nothing.

"Aaron, don't be stupid!"

But Aaron was already running. Bat in one hand, Aaron ran for the escalator, ignoring Miles' calls after him.

"Where's my knife?" Miles asked nobody in particular. He spun in a frantic circle until he saw his knife on the shelf near where they'd been playing the board game.

"Aaron, wait!" Miles called as he raced back to the shelf and snatched up his knife, though he knew Aaron wouldn't listen. "I'm coming!"

From behind Miles he could hear the other panicky voices of his friends, but he didn't listen to them.

Aaron glanced over his shoulder right before he reached the escalator. "What are you doing?"

"Coming with you!" Miles shoved Aaron onto the escalator. "What are you, deaf? I said that."

Aaron started running again, but fell back to some awkward trot-like pace as he descended down the escalator so that he didn't trip. Miles followed just as quickly, skipping as many steps as he dared. At the bottom of the escalator, Aaron took the lead at once and Miles was hot on his heels as he ducked through the doorframe of the library's front door, careful to avoid slipping on any of the scattered glass.

Miles and Aaron halted simultaneously once they were outside. They were getting showered very lightly with rain; so lightly Miles hardly even noticed. "Which way was it?" Aaron asked.

"That way." Miles pointed, then started running again. He heard Aaron's footsteps behind him until the other boy took the lead once more, swerving sharply around the corner of the library and onto the street.

Miles knew they were getting close because the metallic scent of blood hung thickly in the air. His stomach churned and his heart hammered in his chest at the thought of how probable it was that the Altered who had attacked the teens on the street hadn't yet left.

But then Miles and Aaron arrived at the scene, and no Altered were present. Miles' heartbeat only sped up in spite of that.

"They're all dead," Aaron choked.

The ground ran scarlet and sprawled upon the stained concrete were bloodied weapons and twisted, bruised, bleeding bodies.

Miles swayed on his feet.

How many more people were going to die before this was over?

He knew none of the Unaltered that were before his eyes, but he'd known Harvey and he'd known Bri and next time somebody died, perhaps it would be somebody he couldn't bear to see go.

Miles glanced at Aaron.

How long would their group's luck last?

Then, from just to Miles' right, there was a small groan and a flicker of movement.

Aaron's head swung around so fast that Miles' wouldn't be surprised if it broke Aaron's neck. Aaron dropped his bat and rushed towards a girl - Luca's age, maybe - who was feebly attempting to lift her head.

Miles kept a hold of his knife but dashed after Aaron. Aaron collapsed to his knees beside the girl, and Miles noticed how Aaron winced when his knees grazed against the concrete.

The girl was so dazed that she didn't even seem to notice Aaron who was, at this point, panicking. "She's not dead!" Aaron exclaimed.

"No shit." Miles knelt down carefully beside Aaron, his shoulder brushing his companions as they leaned over the whimpering girl. "Probably not for long, though."

Aaron shot Miles a distressed look and Miles regretted saying anything. "What are we going to do?"

The girl lifted a trembling, blood-spattered hand and clawed at the air - Miles realised she might be able to see them after all. Thinking back to all the times people had told him not to tap on a goldfish bowl, he backed off a little as to not intimidate the injured girl, thinking that this circumstance was similar to all those times he'd probably frightened fish by getting too close to their tanks.

... relatively similar. The girl wasn't exactly a goldfish.

Aaron grabbed the girl's hand in both of his own. He too was starting to shake, eyes bright with fear.

"Miles," Aaron said, and when he looked up at Miles, Miles could see just how desperate Aaron was to save the girl.

The girl rested her head back down on the concrete and a soft sigh left her blue lips.

One, two, five seconds of silence.

Miles met Aaron's watery blue gaze. "She's dead."

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+1519 Words.