[37] Parkour

Cassidy's exclamation was met with a stunned silence from the both of us. Her sudden burst of energy felt out of place amidst the quiet desolation of the cityscape. But she seemed undeterred, a manic glint in her sapphire eyes as she surveyed the scene before us with an odd look of excitement.

"It's a trap," she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper, as if letting us in on some grand secret. But she said it with a strange, playful grin that seemed utterly at odds with our grim surroundings. It felt like we were part of some grotesque game and Cassidy, with her enthusiastic declaration, was our cheery game show host.

"But...what do you mean?" Ms. Yan asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. I could tell she was as perplexed as I was.

"Look!" Cassidy practically hopped out of the jeep and pointed towards the auto repair shop. "See that?" she asked, pointing to what looked like random bits of scrap metal hanging from the roof. "Those are not decorations, it's a warning system. Anyone or anything bumps into them, they'll create a racket."

That was something neither of us had noticed. The seemingly random arrangement of scrap metal dangling from wires. It was a primitive, but effective alarm system.

"And that..." Cassidy continued, now pointing towards the entrance of the shop, "Do you see the wire running across the entrance, at ankle height? Step on that, and I bet my bottom dollar it triggers something nasty."

Her excitement was infectious. For a moment, I forgot about the hordes of the undead, the decaying world around us, the sheer absurdity of our predicament. We were swept up in Cassidy's energy, her enthusiasm. It was like being in a bubble, temporarily shielded from the grim reality that lay beyond.

But then reality crashed back. If this was a trap, then the question remained. Who had set it? Was it Andy, Cassidy's friend, protecting his fortress in this land of the dead? Or had someone else moved in, converting the auto repair shop into their own personal fortress?

"What do we do now?" Ms. Yan asked, echoing the question in my mind.

Cassidy's excitement seemed to falter a bit, but only for a moment. She looked towards the auto shop again, eyes narrowing in thought. Then, she turned towards us, her grin as wide as ever.

"Stand back." Cassidy flashed us a smile, before turning back to the garage.

Cassidy was a dynamo. From the moment she announced her intention, there was no room for objection, no time to consider an alternate plan. She hit the ground running, or rather, sprinting. In her element, Cassidy was a force of nature, vibrant, energetic, and absolutely unstoppable.

Her boots hit the asphalt with an authoritative thud, arms pumping at her sides to gather momentum. In her hands, the twin pistols – her beloved 'babies' – glinted menacingly under the dying sun, adding an air of deadly seriousness to her otherwise playful demeanor. She ran straight towards the auto repair shop, her pace steady and determined.

As she neared the wire strung across the entrance, she went into a controlled slide, skimming across the ground with a grace that was nothing short of breathtaking. The wire passed harmlessly over her, failing to trigger whatever nefarious trap it had been rigged to. There was an almost cat-like grace to her movements, a fluidity and poise that was captivating.

She was back on her feet in an instant, dusting off her hands, a satisfied grin on her face. But she wasn't done. The hanging scraps of metal were next.

This time, she launched herself upwards, executing a perfect handspring. Her body arched beautifully in the air, and for a fleeting moment, she looked as though she was flying. The metal trinkets swung harmlessly above her as she passed under them, her landing as soft and controlled as a gymnast's.

With the two major traps bypassed, Cassidy did not waste a moment. She sprinted towards the shop's side wall, took a running leap and kicked off it, soaring upwards to grasp the edge of the rooftop. Her muscles strained and bulged as she pulled herself up and disappeared from our view.

Then, after what felt like an eternity but was barely a few seconds, Cassidy's blonde head popped back into view. She waved at us, her sapphire eyes twinkling with exhilaration and her grin wide, signaling a triumphant all clear as she yelled:

"The trap is down, you two can come over now!"

Q: Do you do parkour?