The rain was still falling when they went back on the road. The water sprinkled from the sky and onto Emryn’s skin. It sent small shivers through her but she was slowly getting used to it.
“We’ll be there soon,” Alex said from beside her. “If I’ve calculated correctly, we’ve already passed where Mallax was estimated to be while we took shelter from the storm,” he continued, broadcasting a small screen onto the truck wall from a device on his wrist. “We should reach the bridge within the hour.”
Malcolm unfolded a paper map from his pocket. Why he’d use that instead of the cool projection Alex had, Emryn didn't know. He was weird like that. “We’ll be passing through wolf-spider territory.” Malcolm pointed to his map. “It might slow us down but not as much as it will slow down Mallax considering their lack of vehicles.”
“Getting through there shouldn’t be a problem,” Simone chimed in. “Not with Emryn by our side that is.” Simone’s dark brown eyes were staring into hers. She had meant it as a reassurance but it only put more pressure on Emryn’s back. What if she used too much of her power? What if she couldn’t do it?
Zaiden’s hand held her’s and gave it a light squeeze as he addressed the group. “When we arrive make sure the camp is set up as fast as possible, but our main priority will be transporting the explosives to the bridge. If those things are set off too soon it’s game over.”
“Won’t Emryn be able to destroy the bridge if that happens?” Simone asked with a curious glance at the redhead in question.
Emryn wanted to tell Simone what she desired to hear. If only it was that easy. But her back still felt the phantom of the pain after her arrival to Abrax. When she had used too much of her power right after the last adjustments to her implants had expired.
“Of course she can, but my biggest concern with the bombs blowing up too soon is the fact that they’ll kill us all, and nobody will be able to stop it from tearing us apart, not even Emryn.” Malcolm’s words sounded final. Emryn couldn’t meet anyone's eyes.
Alex cleared his throat. “I’ve been monitoring them,” he said calmly, “and the explosives won’t, you know, explode anytime soon. So we don't have to worry about it.”
Simone threw her arm over his shoulders, almost possessively. “That’s right,” she exclaimed proudly. “Alex here will make sure everything goes according to plan.” Simone smiled broadly at him, both resting their heads against the truck wall. Malcolm scoffed next to them.
“Get a room,” he grumbled, leaning back in his seat. Seemed he didn’t like couples very much.
Zaiden’s hand was warm around hers and she found herself leaning into his side. The conversation drifted away from her, thanks to Simone and Malcolm arguing, and she couldn’t have been more grateful for their banter.
When they finally arrived at the bridge, everyone was quick to get to work. The soldiers moved around Emryn orderly and rushed. Tents were set up under the trees and Alex used a projection like tool to camouflage them. The places were subtly marked so only they would know its location.
Zaiden had left Emryn to instruct the group. She didn’t mind being alone for a bit. But she got bored. Scanning her eyes across the camp, looking for someone she felt comfortable enough to talk to, she saw Malcolm. Not exactly what she was looking for but close enough.
Emryn followed him as he walked into one of the tents. He noticed her there but didn’t say anything. Malcolm was ignoring her again. It didn’t offend her though. After their last conversation she couldn’t say she was surprised either. According to everyone else, Malcolm was just like that.
Eyes glancing over the small tent, she only saw crates and boxes. Nothing had been fully set up in the cramped tent. The tent flap was left open, giving her a little comfort in the confined space. Emryn hated feeling trapped. She still slept with her door ajar. Maybe she was a child. Not knowing what to do with herself, Emryn sat on one of the large crates and watched as Malcolm rummaged through another.
The air was too silent and awkward. She had to say something. “What are you doing?”
Malcolm paused to look at her with his usual blank stare. For a moment, she wondered if he was going to yell or ignore her. Malcolm was always the one who criticized her every move. In all honesty, she was surprised he hadn’t done so yet. Instead of meeting her expectations, he held up a sack of bread. “Making a sandwich.” He went back to his search for other ingredients. Back to ignoring her.
Emryn struggled not to fidget in her seat. She didn’t really remember what a sandwich was. “Why?” she asked, desperate for more information but still determined not to seem clueless.
Malcolm found whatever he was looking for and started messing with the ingredients. “Because I’m hungry, and when people are hungry they usually make food.” Emryn could practically feel the eyeroll.
“Right…” she murmured, more to herself then him.
Emryn ran a hand through her red hair and felt a knot. Knowing that more would come if she didn’t do something, she attempted to braid her hair. In her mind she tried to visualize what Simone had shown her. But it was a lot harder trying to do it on herself.
“Need some help,” Malcolm offered. He was watching her closely. It wasn’t a scrutinizing gaze but it was still annoying.
Emryn huffed her surprise away and turned so she wasn’t fully facing him. “No.” She could do it on her own. Plus it didn’t look like Malcolm had any skill with women’s hair. He wasn’t Simone.
“Suit yourself,” he said, a hint of a smile in his tone.
Emryn felt heat rise to her face. This was too weird. Her and Malcolm weren’t close enough to be able to have one-on-one conversations. Where was Zaiden when she needed him? She still required some kind of buffer between her and Malcolm.
“Why aren’t you with Zaiden?” Could he read her thoughts too?
“Why aren’t you with Zaiden?” she countered. Malcolm scrunched his face in annoyance.
He blew out a frustrated puff of air and leaned against a stack of boxes. An awkward silence engulfed them once again.
Emryn got to the end of her braid when she realized she didn’t have anything to tie it with. She glanced around the room. There might be something inside one of the numerous crates, but she didn't want to risk going through all of them.
Malcolm held up a black band between his fingers. He had gotten closer. Caught off guard, Emryn could only blink at it. “Why do you have that?” His hair wasn’t short but it wasn’t long enough that it would warrant being tied back.
Malcolm rolled his eyes again. Emryn hadn’t noticed how bright the brown in them was before now. They looked nice but he was still annoying.
“I stole it from Simone to annoy her before we left, but it turns out she has more of them so I just kept it in my pocket.” Wow, he was also a child.
Emryn wrapped it around her braid, running her hand down the loose strands. “Does it look bad?” she asked.
“Yes.” Emryn glared at him.
“It’s my first time,” she defended.
Malcolm held his hands up in mock surrender. “You didn’t let me finish,” he reasoned. “Yes, it looks bad, but no, it doesn’t look terrible.”
“That’s not a compliment,” she grumbled. This was why she needed Zaiden. He always made her feel better.
Malcolm rolled his eyes and went quiet again. Emryn wasn’t an expert on conversations but she was pretty sure it involved talking back. This was a mistake. Emryn turned to leave, ready to look for someone easier to talk to.
“Who’s Seth?”
She froze. Her heart was pounding in her ears. Did she hear him right? Emryn gulped and slowly turned around. “How do you know that name?”
“You said it in your sleep that day in the hospital. Shouted it.” Malcolm searched her eyes. “Who’s Seth?” he asked again.
Emryn’s throat had gone dry. She had almost forgotten that Maloclm was the one that had looked after her while she was in Abrax’s medical wing.
“He’s–”
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Shouts came from outside. Emryn’s eyes went wide. There were gunshots. She listened closely briefly and heard the hiss of wolf-spiders. “We’re under attack,” she warned.
Macolm’s eyes were trained on the tent flap and his hand went to the gun on his hip. The radio in his pocket started going off like crazy. It was too loud. Everything was too loud.
Zaiden. She had to find Zaiden. Something bad was going to happen to him.
Emryn latched onto to Maloclm’s wrist and dragged him with her through the camp. She needed to find Zaiden and the others, but that didn’t mean she’d leave him behind. Small drops still came from the sky every once and awhile and the wind picked up.
There was more gunfire. She activated her ability, its smoke covering her hands, ready to crush anything that came near.
“Emryn!” Malcolm shouted from beside her. How long had he been yelling?
“We need to find Zaiden,” she yelled back. “Keep your eyes peeled for him and don’t worry about anything else.”
“We have to–” A wolf-spider’s leg shot out of the ground between them. Malcolm went to shoot at it but Emryn was quicker, ripping the thing out of the dirt to pull its inside out. Its golden blood splattered the floor around them.
More came at her. She unhooked the chakram from her back. Using it as a projectile, Emryn sliced through the beasts. Malcolm fired a few shots at any she might have missed. Out of the corner of her eye she saw one about to ram him. Emryn used her power to pull the ground next to the general up. Malcolm staggered away from it but the wolf-spider ran right into the dirt wall. With extra support from her ability, the creature crushed its own body on impact.
Emryn grabbed Malcolm’s wrist again and ran, catching her chakram and it came back to her.
“Where’s Zaiden?” she asked as they ran. Malcolm pointed ahead of them.
“Main tents,” he instructed.
As they maneuvered through the tents, Emryn saw more people emerge from the treelines. They wore different uniforms with masks covering the lower half of their faces. They moved fast. One threw a small device at her as she ran. Malcolm’s arm was around her waist within seconds, moving her behind him as he caught it and quickly threw it in another direction. It exploded. Emryn could feel the vibrations from the blast. The sound almost caused her eardrums to burst.
Malcolm grabbed her shoulder and told her to move. “Who are they?” she shouted through the chaos. The masked attackers were caught in battle with soldiers from Abrax.
“Mallax,” Malcolm said. “Keep moving.”
They found Zaiden in the center of the camp. He cut down enemy soldiers as they attacked. Some with guns, others with blades. When he saw Emryn and Malcolm, his face flooded with relief. The three of them took shelter inside one of the tents in order to regroup. There were a few other soldiers fumbling with what Emryn recognized as echo-cannons.
Emryn’s heart was pounding as she crushed Zaiden into a hug. When she pulled away, Zaiden rested his forehead to hers. “Are you okay?” They both said at the same time. Emryn’s hands scanned over him, checking for injuries.
Zaiden grabbed her hands, pulling them up and placing a light kiss onto her knuckles. “I’m fine,” he breathed. His brown eyes roamed her frame. “Are you alright?”
Her arms were in pain. Her back ached. She could have sworn they were bleeding underneath the bandages. “I’m fine.” Zaiden looked at her intently, as if he could tell she was lying. His hand slid down her wrist and over her forearm. They both watched the movement and then when his hand settled, their eyes met again. He knew.
Malcolm threw two pairs of earplugs at them. “If you two are finished, we should really put these weapons to use before we all die.” Zaiden moved to grab one of the cannons, supporting its weight on his shoulder.
They all went to the tent opening, an unfamiliar Abrax shoulder held it open while Malcolm and Zaiden manned the weapons. “Aim for the treeline, not the tents,” he instructed. “Most of the wolf-spiders are coming from over there and I don’t want to risk killing our own. If we stop more from coming in, our soldiers shouldn’t have a problem fighting off Mallax.”
“What if it’s a distraction? What if O’Connor’s getting away while we fight his pawns?” Malcolm asked.
“I’ve already sent troops to the bridge earlier. They’ve been radioed and are aware of our situation. No one’s gonna cross that bridge. And no one will be getting away this time.” Zaiden adjusted the echo-cannon on his shoulder. He put the earplugs in and the rest of them followed suit. When they fired their weapons, Emryn still covered her ears. The shrieking wail from the cannons gave her a headache.
While Zaiden and Malcolm focused on the enemies from the trees, Emryn used her power to fight the ones getting too close to their tent. She tore apart soldiers and beasts alike, their blood creating patterns on the ground.
Don’t think about how they see you. Just save them.
Eventually, the wolf-spiders stopped coming, so they discarded the cannons. The crowded screams dissipated slowly. Mallax soldiers started running back into the treelines, leaving only a few wolf-spiders behind.
“They’re retreating,” Zaiden said. He pinched his brows. “Why are they retreating?” Malcolm silently watched the camp, hand clutching his gun hard enough to make his knuckles turn white.
“Do you know where Simone and Alex are?” Emryn asked after a beat of silence. She had been wanting to ask for a while but couldn’t find a good time.
“Alex was preparing the explosives. Simone is probably still with him,” Zaiden answered.
“Actually they’re coming towards us,” Malcolm chimed in, slightly relaxing.
Simone held her bloody ax in one hand, the other was busy keeping Alex on his feet. He kept stumbling into her side. Winces came to his face every time he took a step. “Alex is hurt,” she whispered, eyes widening.
Emryn raced out of the tent, running up to the couple. Malcolm and Zaiden were close on her heels. “What happened?” she demanded once she was a few steps away.
Simone met her eyes. “They took them.”
“Took what?”
Alex looked up, shaking and leaned more into Simone for support. “The bombs,” he stuttered, ashamed.
Zaiden tensed. He looked like he wanted to yell. Emryn didn’t want to think about what this meant for him. Before they left, he had already pushed his father too far, if he went back without results…
Emryn turned to the treelines, scanning for the masked soldiers. “I’ll get them back.” With one last look at her friends before she took off in a run, Emryn chased after Mallax.
“Emryn, wait!” someone yelled, but she was already off. She couldn’t just let O’Connor get away. The others had already failed too many times.
It was dark out but she could still see a few men a little ways in front of her. Emryn used her power to lift them into the air and back towards her. She yanked them to a stop in front of her and crushed their limbs. Blood splattered onto her face. The sound of screams and bones cracking made her uneasy. Monster. She shook her head. Now was not the time. The two men didn’t have anything in their hands, so she moved on. Chasing down the soldiers until she came to a hill with only a few trees.
Wind blew into her ears, making it hard to hear clearly. She scanned the open area. A group of five people were running down the hill. In one of their arms was a box. The bombs.
Emryn sprinted after them. Her body was in so much pain, arms throbbing and heavy to move but she didn’t care. She caught up fast and lifted the soldier with the box. The blue and orange light surrounded their body. The box of explosives fell to the grass. Emryn’s hand cramped. She had wanted to kill them but once she held them up, tremors shot through her arm. The soldier started screaming. They were high pitched, like those of a woman, and her body frailed around within Emryn’s grasp.
The other soldiers drew their weapons and aimed their guns at her. Emryn reached for the chakram on her back. She had to kill them. The woman let out painful groans, still kicking and trying to break Emryn’s hold.
“Stop, don’t hurt her,” a calm male voice sounded from beside Emryn. She turned her head to the source and froze. The man’s mask had been discarded, leaving his face in full view. It couldn’t be. She was seeing things.
Not real, not real, not real.
Her eyes met blue and a look of realization went across his face. His scarred face.
Not real, not real, not real.
“636,” he whispered in a trance. His left brow was split by a white scar. A matching one down his jaw. His eyes. She knew those eyes.
Emryn lost her hold on the soldier and fell to her knees. The click of a gun came from all around her. He held up a hand to stop the other soldier’s movements. She couldn’t stop looking at him. Breathing became hard and all of her pain was suddenly so noticeable. The blood on the side of her face grew uncomfortable.
Not real, not real, not real.
“Seth,” she choked out. She was officially insane.
He laughed like he was suppressing a sob. Then he smiled. So many things about him had changed but his smile remained the same. “Hey Sunshine.”
A tear fell down her skin. She couldn’t move . Couldn’t think. This couldn’t be him. Seth died. She saw his body. It was a hard thing to forget. His screams haunted her dreams at night. He died.
Not real, not real, not real.
Distant shouting came from the top of the hill. Someone was yelling but they were too far for her to make out who it was. Emryn couldn’t even turn her head to see. Too afraid that if she looked away from Seth, her hallucination would be gone.
“We need to go,” the soldier from her right yelled.
“O’Connor!” someone else shouted.
Seth flinched. Shaking his head, he closed his eyes. He looked conflicted. Letting out a strained sigh. He looked at her again. “I’ll find you again– soon,” he pleaded. “I promise.” Then he ran after the rest of the masked soldiers.
Emryn wanted to scream out at him. Tell him not to leave her again. But she couldn’t. Once he was gone, tears streamed down her face and she remained unmoving.
“I’m going to get you out of here. I’m going to escape and take you with me.” Emryn swallowed down a sob. “I won’t run away from people who need me again.” Liar.
Simone was the one who found her. Everything else was a blur. They made it back to camp, destruction all around them, and Simone led her to Zaiden. Emryn looked down at her hands. They were covered in blood. She began wiping them on her clothes but the blood wouldn’t come off. Why wouldn't it come off? She rubbed her arms harder. Her bandages were close to ripping and that’s when Zaiden stepped in.
He didn’t ask about what happened. He held her tightly against his chest. “It’s okay,” he whispered into her ear. “It’s okay.”
Emryn took a few more labored breaths. She was insane. She had to be.