Ampelius felt the blood rush to his head. The metallic taste of blood lingered on his tongue, and his shoulders ached from the seatbelt digging into his flesh. He took a look around to try and free himself, but the shattered glass below him, scattered inside and outside the vehicle, made any escape attempts treacherous and possible fatal.

  He reached up with his right hand to the seatbelt release, his fingers trembling as the cold metal of the button pressed against his skin. Bracing for the inevitable fall when a movement in his peripheral vision made him pause.

  A young raccoon scurried in through the driver's broken window, pausing only to glance at him before continuing through and out the passenger side window. Ampelius almost laughed at the absurdity and timing. Of all creatures, a raccoon in the middle of this nightmare? He thought.

  The animal's brief intrusion left him curious, and slightly worried. Was it another machine? Or just nature, oblivious to what was happening? When it vanished, he steeled himself and pressed the release button.

  He hit the ground hard, landing on the shattered glass. Pain shot up his arms and back as shards buried into his skin. Warm blood soaked through his shirt,l but he forced himself still. Every breath burned, and moving felt like death.

  He remained as still as possible, trying to listen for the machine. For several minutes, he didn't hear anything. No metal steps. No engine. Nothing. It could be waiting and watching, he thought.

  So he stayed frozen, feeling the glass biting deeper into his skin, while his ears strained for the thing that might still be out there.

  He gritted his teeth and decided it was time to move. After shifting his body until he was on all fours, he began to crawl, each movement slow to avoid worsening the cuts on his hands and knees. The glass crunched beneath him with each shift, making him nervous with every sound.

  Then the sweet and pungent smell of gasoline grew stronger as he maneuvered through the driver’s window. He feared the fuel tank had ruptured but couldn’t be sure. The acrid tang of smoke mixed with the stench, burning his nostrils as he struggled to suppress a cough.

  After a few long minutes, he finally crawled out from the truck, but didn’t stand right away. He waited, listening, trying to keep his breathing shallow as every nerve wired for that thing to come crashing back through the trees.

  In his head, he ran through scenarios. If it returned. If it stalked. If it shifted shape again. He had no plan that didn’t end with him dying, but thinking about it felt better than doing nothing.

  Slowly, painfully, he pushed to his feet, his eyes scanning in every direction. Nothing moved. No wildlife, no wind through brush, just the faint sway of trees and the dull morning light bleeding through a smoke-choked sky.

  It felt too quiet. The wrong kind of quiet. Like the world was holding its breath.

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  Then he heard it, the sound of metal crunching against leaves and foliage that forced him to run into a nearby bush. The raccoon-like machine didn't notice him, but it perched itself on top of the overturned truck. He noticed its reflective eyes scanning the interior. But why did it take so long to come look? Or was it waiting, and somehow didn't see me leave? He wondered.

  It moved with an unsettling mix of animal-like grace and mechanical precision, its behavior was eerily familiar, yet entirely alien to him. He felt his pulse racing as the machine’s head tilted almost inquisitively. Making him fearful to even move.

  “What the hell is it looking for?” He whispered to himself. Fear kept twisting within his gut, but a part of him couldn’t look away, almost morbidly fascinated by it's strange mimicry of nature. Was it built that way for camouflage? Or was it to mock them?

  When it realized he wasn’t inside, the creature flipped the truck upright with a single, powerful motion.

  Ampelius watched in horror as it spat a sticky, jelly-like substance onto the vehicle. The substance ignited instantly, engulfing the truck in flames. The heat of the explosion hit him, searing his skin as he stumbled back, shielding his face with his arm.

  The machine scanned the area once more before darting off toward the road, disappearing into the forest as quickly as it had appeared.

  Ampelius exhaled shakily, the brief reprieve doing little to calm his nerves. The image of the machine’s glowing eyes and unnerving movements was burned into his mind. “What are you things?” he whispered to himself again, his voice barely audible over the crackling flames.

  The growing fire would surely attract attention. So he looked around and weighed his options. Given the machine’s direction, the road was risky and wasn't an option. The dense trees offered a safer path, but it could be more disorienting depending on where he needed to go. But there was no debate, he chose the trees, hoping to stay hidden as he ventured deeper into the wilderness.

  An hour later, he reached the base of a steep hill. He believe it could offer a vantage point, a way to recon the surrounding area. As he began the climb, he heard the high-pitched mechanical squeal that echoed behind him, followed by the crunch of a tree snapping in half.

  Ampelius glanced back to see nothing but swaying trees. He wasn't sure if he was being tracked or not, so he continued his ascent, ensuring he doesn't remain in one place too long.

  He crested the ridge and stopped a moment. He saw Mount Nerva to his left, still spitting green ash as faint lightning flickered inside the plume. Behind him, Vetera was nothing but a choking blanket of black smoke.

  To the right, another town burned, as he noticed the faint dots of turtle shells swarming it, with tracer fire stitching the sky while distant explosions rolled through the valley.

  Directly ahead, the land looked untouched, morning light spilling over the mountains. Down the slope, smoke curled from the wrecked vehicle he’d escaped, with a turtle shell hovering above a burning tree as the fire spread through the forest.

  With nowhere else to go, he turned toward the rising sun and started walking. East was hope. Or at least, not hell.

  As he descended, he noticed the silhouette of a massive object slowly descending from the clouds, partically hidden by the trees. But he paid no attention to it.

  Upon reaching the base of the hill, the wind had picked up, drowning out the distant sounds of battle. Then he heard the deafening mechanical squeal roar from the hilltop behind him. He looked up and saw a wolf-like machine howling at the sky, flames spewing from its mouth.

  "Is that the same machine or a different one?" Ampelius muttered, feeling a surge of panic.

  He sprinted toward the nearest group of trees, glancing back only to find the wolf gone, replaced by two Zavons who peered over the hill's edge in his direction. He remained still, hoping they wouldn't see him as they disappeared from view. Seizing the opportunity, he moved deeper into the forest.