A tall man with long, scraggly hair and a fringed leather jacket emerged from the stairwell. He patted the woman on the shoulder.

“Good work, Rainbow. Now let’s get them!”

The rest of the squatters scrambled through the obstacle course, moving like a swarm of angry ants.

“Go!” Priya shouted at Xander.

He sprinted away while she tipped over the gurney. He reached the intersection and glanced back. Priya hurtled toward him with the squatters in hot pursuit.

At the back of the group, Quest yelled, “Don’t let them escape!”

The plan was working.

“Li, wait for us!” Xander shouted, pretending his friend was up ahead. “Priya, hurry! We have to catch up to Li!”

Priya ran slow enough to give the squatters a chance to close the gap. Then she joined Xander around the corner.

“This way,” Priya said as she took the lead.

“Where does this take us?” Xander asked.

Priya answered, “The cancer ward.”

“How do you know your way around this place so well? I’m seriously lost right now.”

Footsteps thudded behind them. Xander hoped they had lured all the squatters away. If not, Li was going to have her hands full rescuing their friend.

“Come on, Xander!” Priya shouted. “Down here.”

She veered onto another corridor, her headlamp showing the way. Xander raced after her. There was no need to go slow. The squatters could see their lights.

He caught up to Priya at another intersection.

“Did Li text yet?” Priya asked, panting for air.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the screen. “No.”

“How much time does she need?”

Xander peered over his shoulder. “As much time as we can give her.”

“Let’s go!” Priya shouted as she sprinted to the left.

“Stop!” Quest yelled. “Don’t go down that way!”

Xander peeked over his shoulder. The squatters were closing the gap. They held up lanterns and were bathed in an eerie orange glow.

“Dude, we just want to talk to you!” the long-haired man called.

“You’ll have to catch us first!” Xander screamed back as he took off. He sprinted toward Priya’s light, following it through a series of corridors until he crashed into Priya’s back.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She pointed ahead at the web of yellow tape stretched across the corridor. Just beyond the tape, ceiling tiles dangled above a deep crater in the floor.

“Whoa,” Xander said. “Let’s try to double back.”

He turned around. Too late. The squatters rushed around the corner.

“We have to go through,” Priya said. “Follow me.”

She tore down the plastic tape and inched along the floor. Xander hugged the wall, his backpack scraping against the slimy surface.

Quest yelled, “Stop! Don’t go any farther!”

They ignored him and continued making their way past the hole. The squatters reached the broken web of tape.

“They’re almost on us,” Xander said. “Move it, move it.”

Priya took another step.

Crack!

The floor gave way under her feet. Xander reached for her arm, but she slipped through his grasp and fell downward. She grabbed the edge of the remaining floor and clung to it.