Chapter 3
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Kay killed the engine, grabbed a wrench, and reached for the roof hatch.
Lila suddenly grabbed his arm. "Look at the solar panels!"
Between the gallium arsenide panel gaps, a red light flashed rhythmically.
· · · — — — · · · (SOS)
The figure on the roof moved. An old man with a prosthetic leg, its metal joint caught in the solar panel bracket.
He scraped gray spots from the panel surface with a dagger. Beside him lay several corpses, golden threads visible in their dead eyes.
"Get down." Kay pushed open the hatch, aiming the wrench at the man's face.
The old man slowly raised his hands, revealing a 1911 pistol at his waist.
"Sweet ride," he grinned, showing a missing front tooth. "But your solar panels are about to become 'black snow' appetizers."
He kicked a barrel by his foot. "Fill this up, and I'll tell you how to stay alive."
Lila suddenly poked her head out. "Are you using methanol to lure them away?"
She pointed at a burning convenience store in the distance where flames had carved a moving firebreak across the fungal mat.
The old man raised his eyebrows. "Smart girl. Buck Holland, former waste disposal worker." He deliberately avoided Lila's scrutinizing gaze.
Kay kept his wrench raised. "Why should I trust you?"
Buck yanked up his pant leg. On the metal prosthesis was inscribed a worn line of text: [82nd AIR...]. "Because of this."
He tapped his prosthesis. "And this." He tossed a silver canister to Kay.
The label read: [ETHYLENE OXIDE - STERILIZATION AGENT - HIGHLY FLAMMABLE AND EXPLOSIVE]
"Liberated from a hospital disinfection room," Buck grinned. "Light one and toss it—fungi within ten meters become crispy cremini."
The engine suddenly emitted a piercing whine.
The dashboard flashed a warning: [ENERGY RESERVE: 12%]
Kay eyed Buck's oil-stained fingernails, then glanced at the seed bank USB drive in Lila's arms.
"I'll fill your gas," he lowered his wrench, "in exchange for your life."
