He tried to recall how long he had been out in the fray with little success. It had already been dark by the time he found Fiona. With the sky almost perpetually overcast it was difficult to count the passage of the hours between sundown and dawn, not to mention he had no familiarity at all with this night sky.

He made certain their road of retreat stayed clear to the front, all the while looking for a better place to fortify. "There's a cul-de-sac not too far from here with a narrow approach. It would be easy enough to block off the smaller alleys with debris and control their rate of approach, while also leaving us a point of exit."