Smoke curled from the blazing undercarriage of the treadmill. The machine itself turned into a ruined sculpture of metal and melted synthetic belts.
A groaning sound echoed as it ground to a halt.
Leon got thrown backward at high speed, but he didn't fall. He stood before it, sweat tracing through the dust on his face as his chest heaved.
A wild grin formed on his lips. "THIS IS FUN!" he shouted into the ringing silence.
The joy drained from his face as soon as he tilted his gaze to Zoe's.
She stood four feet away, frozen. Her face had the mask of pure shock. Her eyes were wide, that kind that is of dawning understanding.
They flicked from his face to the destroyed machine and back again, as if trying to reconcile the two impossible images.
"Why that look?" Leon asked, the grin trying to reset itself as a confused smile. He followed her gaze to the metal that still glowed a faint cherry-red.
