Ampelius helped Bella to her feet, steadying her as she leaned against him for balance. Her clothes were streaked with dirt and blood, but was alive. Together, they limped toward the jagged hole in the floor, the edges still glowing faintly from the strike.

  The fireball had torn through the structure and exposed the metro tunnel beneath them. Ampelius glanced upward through the ragged hole in the ceiling and spotted a neighboring skyscraper, its upper floors ablaze, a dark column of smoke twisting into the sky.

  “That fireball must’ve clipped that before crashing down here,” he said, squinting through the haze.

  Bella followed his gaze. “Talk about timing, and bad luck for that thing.”

  “Yeah,” Ampelius muttered, sounding out of breath. “At least it took the hit instead of us.” He paused, staring at the scorched floor where Mark had been standing minutes ago. The smell of smoke and charred metal was strong, too strong. “Poor Mark, though… there’s nothing we can do for him.”

  For a moment, neither of them spoke. Bella shifted her weight, grimacing as pain flared through her side.

  “He didn’t deserve that,” she said quietly. “He helped us when he didn’t have to.”

  Ampelius nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t know him long, but… he had guts. More than most from what I've seen.” He forced himself to look away from the wreckage. “We can’t stay here. If that blast doesn't attrach more of them, they’ll be back soon, I'm sure of it.”

  He glanced toward the hole again, the faint glow of fire flickering below. “I think we can get down into the tunnel through here,” he said, crouching at the edge. “Let’s just hope whatever’s left of that fireball, that it doesn’t start moving into one of those Turtle Shells.”

  Bella managed a small, bitter smile. “You say that like it’s optional.”

  Ampelius leaned himself forward, trying to focus his eyes in order to make out the shapes in the darkness. The air rising from the burnt out hole was hot and acrid, although it was carrying the faint metallic tang of melted steel. “Wait…” he said. “No, I think I see it. The fireball, the one that crashed through here, I believe it’s still down there. Or what’s left of it.”

  Upon a closer look, the fireball had torn itself apart on the way down. Whatever it was, it had slammed through multiple buildings before ending up here, leaving behind a mangled, smoking shell resting on the metro tracks. The thing almost looked like a massive metal turtle, but burnt, broken, and half-melted from the crash.

  It took them nearly five minutes to make the climb down into the tunnel, using whatever they could. The heat from the wreckage was still radiating against their faces. As Ampelius and Bella made it to the tracks, they approached the burning metal cautiously, and crouched near it. The shell’s surface shimmered under the flickering firelight, its outer layer peeling away like burnt skin.

  “Bella,” he said in a whisper, “I think this thing was shot down.”

  Bella frowned, limping herself closer. “Shot down? By who?”

  He pointed to a section of the craft where a dark, gel-like material bubbled and hissed. “See this stuff? It’s some kind of outer coating, maybe armor or a landing gear. But there’s a hole here, you see the clean entry, and a bigger one on the other side? That’s no random crash damage. Something hit it. And hard.”

  Bella leaned closer, inspecting the warped plating. “How can you be sure?”

  Ampelius shrugged. “As sure as I can be. It’s either that or it slammed into something midair. But my money’s on someone taking it down. Maybe the Romans got lucky for once.”

  He circled the wreckage, scanning for any movement. Then noticed something strange.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Wait,” he muttered, stepping closer to the debris. Something pale jutted from beneath the shell, some kind of arm, or what was left of one. He crouched and squinted. It wasn’t mechanical. Flesh clung to it, though the skin was charred and slick with a strange, whitish-brown liquid that pulsed slowly.

  Ampelius recoiled, his stomach twisting. “What the hell…”

  Bella moved closer. “What is it?”

  He swallowed hard. “An arm… I think. But it’s not human. And that fluid—” he hesitated, watching it ooze from the wound, thick and unnatural. “At first I thought it was fuel, but… I think it’s blood.”

  Bella stared at him, then back at the arm. “Maybe the fire messed with its color,” she offered weakly.

  “Maybe,” he said, though he didn’t sound convinced. He stood, taking one last uneasy glance at the wreck. “Either way, let’s not stick around to find out.”

  They moved deeper into the tunnel, the darkness swallowing them whole. The only thing they could do to keep moving was using the metal tracks beneath their feet as a guide. Ampelius kept glancing back at the smoldering wreckage, using it as a marker until it finally faded from view. Still, the fear wouldn’t leave him. Something about that silence felt wrong, like the calm before another strike. Even as he pushed forward, his thoughts stayed fixed on the crash site.

  Five minutes later, a sudden flash of blue and red light flooded the tunnel from behind. Ampelius’s instincts kicked in. He grabbed Bella and pulled her toward the wall. Just as they slipped into a shallow recess, several shadows dropped from above, followed by a heavy thud on the tracks.

  “Damn it,” Ampelius whispered. “Didn’t take them long to show up.”

  The first shadow landed beside the wreckage as a bright purple orb detached from its back, and hovered over the burning debris. It scanned the ruined turtle with laser like beams. Two more figures dropped down moments later, hitting the tracks hard before splitting off in opposite directions, each carrying what looked like weapons. Ampelius carefully watched their movements, trying to see through the haze and flickering lights. Then he was able to confirm it, they are Zavons.

  Just like the one before, the creatures were humanoid, but not human. Ampelius guessed they stood close to seven feet tall, as they towered over him by at least a foot. Their faces carried the heavy features of Neanderthals, an ancient people that were thought to be long extinct. They couldn’t be… could they? he wondered. Yet something about them felt familar, yet too advanced to be anything from this planet. They all wore maroon armor, which were plated in black octagons, with patches of dark, leathery flesh exposed.

  When the orb finished its sweep of the wreckage, it slowly drifted down the tracks, its beam cutting through the dark like a silent searchlight. Ampelius and Bella pressed tight against the wall, barely breathing as the glow moved in their direction. For a moment, it seemed to close in, but then it stopped.

  Ampelius risked a glance. All three Zavons had turned their way. One knelt, studying the ground as the orb’s light traced over the tracks. Two sets of glowing footprints appeared, leading straight toward their hiding spot.

  The Zavon raised a hand, pointing. The others followed his gesture, weapons coming up in perfect unison before they started marching forward in formation.

  Ampelius felt his breathing turn shallow and fast, each inhale louder than he wanted. If they moved, they’d be seen, and if they stayed, they’d be caught.

  “I think that orb is tracking us. I can see our footprints highlighted on the ground. I think we’re done; our luck has finally run out,” Ampelius whispered to Bella, his voice trembling.

  They huddled together, bracing for the inevitable end. But then, as if a prayer has been answered, a sharp hiss cut through the deeper and dark part of the tunnel, followed by the screech of metal grinding against metal. Ampelius jerked his head toward the sound, just as a blinding floodlight snapped on, flooding the darkness in white. The Zavons recoiled, throwing up their arms against the bright light.

  “What are you waiting for? Shoot those bastards!” a human voice called out.

  A heavy machine gun thundered to life, its muzzle flashes strobing through the tunnel. The gunfire ripped into the Zavons, tearing through their armor and flesh. Each burst sent them stumbling back until they finally crumpled to the ground, leaking a whitish-brown fluid that hissed against the hot metal rails. Guess their armor’s not so tough after all, Ampelius thought, stunned

  The gunfire tapered off, leaving only the echo of shell casings hitting steel. The Zavons’ blood pooled between the tracks, steaming faintly in the cold air. Ampelius turned toward the blinding light, hearing shouts and movement. He raised his hands slowly, motioning for Bella to do the same, neither daring to twitch in case whoever was out there wasn’t friendly.

  After a minute of quiet, a dark shape rolled into view, a train. It screeched to a halt, its floodlights focused on the dead Zavons. Armed figures moved along its sides, some jumping down to secure the area.

  From the group, a man stepped forward, flanked by two soldiers. He wore a beret marked with a wolf insignia, his eyes sharp and steady.

  “You two can lower your hands,” he said, their tone calm but firm. “We’re not here to hurt you.”