Page 4 of Romancing in Rot

“Mom.” Poppy’s hands clutch my shoulders, slick with blood. Mine or hers, I don’t even know anymore. Her voice is a whisper. “What do we do?”

I drag the crowbar into my lap and grip it tight, even though my hands won’t stop shaking.

Think.

Think.

There has to be a way out.

A deafening boom rips through the street.

The world flashes orange.

Glass explodes outward from the corner market, glittering through the air like deadly confetti. The blast punches through the horde, knocking bodies into pavement and parked cars.

Heat rolls over us.

Poppy screams.

I throw one arm over her head and curl around her as debris rains down.

A gap opens.

Small. Closing fast.

“Move!” I shove Poppy forward.

She grabs me under the arm and pulls with everything she has, dragging me through the mess of twitching bodies and broken glass. My bad leg trails behind me, useless and screaming.

A hand swipes at my sleeve. I swing the crowbar blindly and it connects with something soft and wet. Poppy hauls harder, sobbing through clenched teeth, and somehow we stumble through the gap.

The dentist office’s door hangs crooked beside the market. Poppy yanks it open, and we fall inside together, crashing onto the tile.

I slam the door shut behind us and throw my back against it, sliding to the floor.

The handle rattles.

Something hits the other side.

Then another.

And another.

The door shudders against my spine.

The waiting room smells like dust, fluoride, smoke, and old mint. A kid’s treasure chest lies overturned near the front desk, plastic rings and bouncy balls scattered across the floor. A cartoon tooth smiles from the wall, one gloved thumb raised like we’re doing a great job.

“Mom—”

“I’m okay.” The lie comes fast. Thin. Pathetic.

I grab my leg and press both hands over the wound. Blood pulses between my fingers, slick and hot, pooling beneath my thigh.

No towels. No gauze. Nothing useful.

I shove one hand against the wall and try to stand.

A broken sound rips from my throat as my leg buckles and I collapse back to the floor hard enough to jar my teeth.