‘Fingers crossed,’ Harry said. He pressed the start button and felt a whirr. ‘And off we go …’

55 BUST

Harry drove until the fire was just a plume in distant sky, sticking to side streets, passing the backs of industrial units and strip malls. Keeping slow meant Charlie spotted a checkpoint in time for Harry to avoid it, swinging across four empty lanes and down an alleyway between a motel and a Wells Fargo bank.

But their luck tanked a quarter-mile from Kirsten’s boyfriend’s place, taking a blind corner and finding a Metro Police car parked at the kerb while a bulky officer pissed in a storm drain.

‘I’d hit the accelerator if I was in my Porsche,’ Harry joked nervously as a female officer stepped into the road, raising a gloved hand.

‘What’s going on, kids?’ she yelled through her mask, making a lower-the-window gesture as she crouched down. ‘I need four hands where I can see ’em.’

The other officer shone a flashlight as he approached the rear of the car.

Harry had put some thought into how he’d act if he was stopped. ‘Good evening, officer,’ Harry said, laying on his politest English accent. ‘Is there a problem?’

The officer acted sarcastic. ‘Did you happen to notice a quarantine going down?’

‘My girlfriend and I were at a friend’s house. But there isn’t enough food there, so I’m driving home to my aunt’s.’

‘You got a transit authorisation code?’

‘Did we need one?’ Harry asked innocently.

Charlie got goose bumps as the male officer shone his flashlight through the back window. Cops were trained to recognise gene-modding equipment, and the gear in the back wasn’t even covered.

‘We had a huge row with the guys we were staying with,’ Charlie told the officer, trying to sound upset. ‘I yelled at Harry to get in the car and leave. Are we in a lot of trouble?’

‘Calm down, sweetheart,’ the female cop said. ‘You shouldn’t have driven off without seeking authorisation. I’ll need to take details of where you’re from and where you’re heading, and we’ll sort it from there.’

But while the female officer bought the story of the teen couple leaving their friend’s house after a row, her partner wasn’t so sure.

‘How come you’re skulking down back streets at ten miles per hour?’ he asked.

‘I took a wrong turn,’ Harry said. ‘Shoulda pulled over and set the navigation, but I thought I knew where I was at.’

‘What’s that gear piled in the trunk?’ the officer asked.

Charlie thought about the gun bulging inside her hoodie as Harry shuddered and thought about hitting the accelerator.

‘Random junk,’ Harry said.

The cop rocked his head knowingly. ‘Mind if I look?’

‘Sure,’ Harry said, glancing anxiously across at Charlie. ‘It’s just school books, and a few clothes …’