Jorin kicked out once more against the tide that was flowing swiftly through the marketplace, and swam out towards the girl – strong, swift strokes across the water’s surface. He flipped her over, then punched the water’s surface – the bluish tint to her lips and soft wrinkled skin let him know she’d drowned long before he’d reached her.

Earlier, he’d watched people struggle to climb into the baskets that had been lowered from the higher levels. Now though, the baskets floated empty on the surface – it had been more than an hour since he’d seen anyone with any life left in them.

Sighing, he set off towards the closest basket, ready to signal an end to the hunt for survivors. Above him, the moon rose swiftly, though its silver glow was occluded by the bright lights of the apartments on the upper levels. “At least the turbines ran well today,” he thought. There would not need to be another flood this month.