Sand pelted my face. To my sides, Daryl and Julia shielded their faces by extending their collars up to their noses and looking between their fingers. Daryl’s mouth moved, but I didn’t hear what he had to say, the sharp winds screamed too loud.

  The sandstorm hadn’t looked so bad from outside.

  I wanted to curse, but feared opening my mouth would let in a tide of sand. Things never were what they seemed.

  The storm whipped stronger. I fortified my body with internal magic and pushed through. To my side Daryl shielded Julia with his massive frame. I’d known the brute would come in handy.

  I could barely make out her shape through the dust. It looked to me like she clung to Daryl’s back like a backpack, struggling to fit her legs around his waist. I tore a thread from the veil and pushed through the storm to them. Daryl eyed me warily. I reached the hand with the thread forward, gesturing for him to take it. I tied the other end around my waist, showing my intent. He nodded, still skeptic of my intentions, yet tied the thread around him no less.

  This way we wouldn’t get separated at the very least. There was no telling what waited for us on the other side, but I sure as hell didn’t want to walk into it scrambled and separated from my team.

  He finished tying the thread. I tugged at it to signal for him to follow. We were probably halfway through by now. No less, no more.

  The winds got worse as we pushed deeper. The coarse storm ground against my skin like sand paper. If I was who I’d been a few months ago, I’d have been ground down to nothing. But that boy was long gone, in his place stood a man eighteen years of age. Unsung, respected, feared.

  Daryl wouldn’t be fazed by the storm. Julia, on the other hand, worried me. I could only hope her coat offered enough protection. I still needed to see her use her blessing. Then I could rest easy. If she never did, then Plan B was to win over Daryl, but that seemed an awfully distant possibility. The man hated my guts after the whole incident with Dave.

  I squinted my eyes as the winds increased in strength. Sand ground against my eyelids, and tore away lashes. I winced. We were close. I could just about see through to the other side now. The shape of a watchtower loomed over us. It was a good sign. We’d stayed true to our aim. If Quinn’s map was accurate then the gate would be close.

  I pushed myself against the sandbag wall. A second later a powerful tremor ran through them. I looked to my side. Daryl wheezed and helped Julia off his back. His lips were crusted with sand and saliva. Julia looked awfully well off in comparison. Her make up had been smushed over her face from burrowing into Daryl’s back. A faint stain of beige and pink lingered on the back of his coat. My worries seemed to have been for nothing.

  We still couldn’t hear each other over the wind. I signalled for them to follow and had Daryl walk in the rear, placing Julia between us. She was the only one without a piece of thread. Couldn’t have her wandering off.

  The soft yielding sandbags ended, replaced by the coldness of metal. My fingers clasped the metallic rods that made up the gate. I stopped by the hinges and activated Burst. With a grunt and a tackle the fence came loose and toppled inside.

  The sand storm stopped. I lowered my collar and breathed fresh air. We were inside the eye of the storm.

  “Fuck,” Daryl grumbled behind me.

  I scanned the area. No hostiles. No friendlies either. Things had definitely gone wrong.

  “You’re so strong!” Julia exclaimed with a chirp and stroked around Daryl’s body like a cat. She reached her hands to his face and wiped his sand crusted lips.

  Definitely not something a friend would do.

  The behemoth blushed and tried to hide it from me. I smirked, making his cheeks take on a deeper shade of pink.

  Something rattled in a tent nearby. I reached for my dagger without thinking. Daryl did the same with his club and pushed Julia behind him. If I did that to Joanna or Samara I’d expect to get smacked in return. He didn’t suffer the fate I had envisioned. Instead she just wooed jovially.

  “Check it out,” I ordered.

  Daryl grumbled something about a twerp giving orders and left us behind. I could feel Julia’s glare trying to burn holes in my neck.

  Daryl’s frame disappeared into the tent. The world went silent. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. I didn’t fear things I knew. But the unknown, that had remained a staple in my nightmares since my run in with the Outsider.

  “Just a rat,” he called from inside.

  I exhaled and smiled sheepishly at Julia. She rolled her eyes and walked past me, bumping her tiny shoulder into mine. She must have thought I’d budge, my frame wasn’t much larger than hers. But I was sturdier than you’d think. Her shoulder was light, it didn’t faze me.

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  She cursed under her breath and rubbed her shoulder. The only one who suffered from the gesture was her.

  I chuckled as she hurried inside the tent to her paramour.

  I waited outside as the two of them worked together to clear the remaining tents. They seemed glad that I stayed away. It gave them some time to themselves, even though they couldn’t spend it how Julia would have liked.

  I was just glad I didn’t have to see her chase after the brute. The charade was unsightly, and childish. Not at all befitting soldiers nearing the age of thirty. Especially not in a tense situation like this.

  I suppose it spoke of their confidence. This wasn’t their first sweep.

  “I’ve got something,” Daryl’s voice rumbled.

  “Wow you found it? I would never have thought to look under the mattress,” Julia squealed.

  I felt shivers run up my spine as I removed the flap and entered the tent. As expected she was stroking his arms with a seductive grin.

  Daryl cleared his throat and extricated himself from her grasp. He handed me a crumpled note, covered with stains of dirt.

  A bunkbed had been upended further inside, the mattress tossed aside. At least he took this seriously.

  I scanned the note and felt my heart drop. “A soldier left this,” I muttered.

  Daryl grunted in affirmation. “Most likely.”

  I rubbed my eyes. “Fuck.”

  The note didn’t make much sense. It was all just an incoherent sloppy mess of word soup. But enough words stood out for my skin to creep.

  There was talk of a cold touch, whispers in the dark. “Corruption then?” I concluded aloud.

  Daryl’s eyes sank as he nodded.

  Julia looked back and forth between us before realization dawned. Her face paled. The flirtatious air from before wiped clean in mere moments. “H-human scourge?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe. Won’t know till we find any remains. The writer might have been influenced by corruption but not yet turned.”

  She nodded fervently to my words. Daryl on the other hand didn’t believe me. Hell, I didn’t. I just hoped we wouldn’t run into another Doctor or Handholder.

  Or even worse; a bunch of them.

  “Stay close,” I ordered and unsheathed Silent scream. I tied a thread around its pommel and my wrist like I used to. I left my right hand empty and ready to summon Jackpot at a moment's notice. Just in case of an emergency. The thing was loud, and if there were scourge inside they would flock to the sound of me firing. I didn’t want to risk it unless it was absolutely necessary.

  Daryl’s fingers nervously clenched and unclenched around his club. Julia stuck close to him, not to flirt, but for protection. Their eyes moved separately, scanning the surrounding structures.

  Beige tents, sandbags, foldable chairs, flapping clothes hung to dry on a clothesline. We moved to the middle of the star formation.

  The defensive camp had been erected around a bunker with a rounded roof. The building had no windows and limited light sources. Julia swallowed audibly, her arms were tense and raised slightly in front of her body. Ready to push any assailant away.

  We stopped in front of the building, listening. Something scampered around inside. I would have thought it a rat if I didn’t feel the slight tug at the veil. My face fell.

  A wooden door stood ajar, welcoming us to step inside the darkness.

  Daryl moved forward with a sharp exhale through his nose. I grabbed his arm to stop him.

  “Scourge.”

  The word lingered, floating through the air like a promise of the coming violence. His fingers tightened and his club groaned. He gave a curt nod with furrowed brows and turned to the door. Steeling himself for impact.

  His foot barely made it inside before he shot back out like a comet.

  Julia screamed something to my side, but I couldn’t hear her. My mind was swimming. I couldn't send the man flying like that. The thing was strong, and quicker than my eyes could see. It moved on two legs, but its arms were long and dragged on the ground.

  It moved past me like a blur. Julia’s screaming stopped. I turned just in time to see her head snap to the side as she slammed into a wall of sandbags. The structure trembled and collapsed over her. Clouds of sand sprayed in every direction as the bags hit the ground.

  The cloud settled, revealing her limp body, half-way buried by the leaking sand. She heaved for breath, eyes wide and tears streaming down her face. “M-my legs,” she whimpered.

  The veil shuddered. I threw myself to the side just in time to dodge. The thing ripped through the air where I’d just been, and dove back into the bunker. Just as suddenly as it came, it went. The only trace of its existence was the shuddering veil and whimpering girl.

  “Julia!” Daryl coughed and rushed to her side.

  His clothes had been torn to shreds at his chest, revealing the sharp contour of his muscles. The skin still steamed and hissed as the wound finished healing. He knelt at Julia’s side, and threw the sandbags off her legs.

  “Don’t just stand there!” he screamed and whipped at me.

  I caught my breath, realizing I’d been holding it. I hurried to their side, at a loss for words.

  “Can you walk?” he asked.

  Julia stared distantly, making him repeat the question. She shook her head, still gasping for breath.

  “I-I can’t feel…”

  “We have to carry her. Cover my six,” Daryl barked and I found myself nodding along to his words.

  This was no longer a place of allies.

  Daryl heaved her onto his shoulder and rushed through the camp. I didn’t stray far from his side, always making sure to keep an eye to our rear.

  I barely saw them coming.

  “Below!” I screamed.

  Circular ripples tore through the sand in tremors. Tens of them, surrounding us from every direction.

  Mid stride, Daryl roared and kicked against the ground, sending himself and Julia propelling through the air.

  Large chitinous bodies burst through the sand, dashing at me from all sides. Sharp stingers glittered with viscous liquids covering their tips. They ripped through the air like spears, aiming to impale me.

  I used Burst and changed the direction of my run while tilting my body to the side. A glossy black stinger brushed against my armour. The monster screeched and tried to shield itself with its pincers.

  I layered another use of Burst on myself and kneed at them with all my might. The shell cracked and exploded into a hail, pelting my skin.

  The veil vibrated and I knew instantly. The others were coming.

  I didn’t have time to finish off the wounded scorpion, and instead threw myself to the side as its brethren stabbed the air.

  Sand sprayed as I rolled and got back to my feet. Daryl landed beyond their ranks and ran. I should have known he’d leave me behind.

  I cursed under my breath. There was no way I’d be getting back to Nyla and the others without dealing with this first.

  I willed Jackpot real and mourned my lack of luck. My finger squeezed the trigger, and there was a bang.

  Not the familiar bang of my comically titled wand firing its bullet. But the bang of my armour getting hit.

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