The engine of the heavily damaged Humvee growled as the vehicle tore through the ruins of Liberty Heights. Rain fell endlessly from the sky, accompanied by the explosive sound of thunder. Despite the limited visibility, the Humvee did not slow. It could not afford to, as a raging swarm of white fur followed closely behind.

“B-bunnies… fast!” Two Tap squeaked from the passenger seat, staring wide-eyed at the cracked side mirror that reflected an endless horde of horned rabbits chasing after them.

“Hold on, Two Tap!” Amelia shouted, pulling the steering wheel sharply in one direction. The Humvee’s tires squealed violently as they swiftly rounded a corner. She then took them down a dark tunnel, into the bottom level of a parking garage.

The horned rabbits dug in their heels, unwilling to pursue their target into the pitch black.

Seeing the monsters halt, Amelia let out a deep sigh, easing her foot off the gas. “This place sucks.”

Rain had poured into their vehicle, with nothing to stop it; the windows were shattered and gone. It was a relief to be away from the murderous rabbits, and being out of the rain almost matched that feeling. They drove on, both soaked through, guided by a single working headlight as they traversed the dark lot.

“M-melly!” Two Tap alerted, pointing a freshly manicured finger at the road ahead.

The Humvee had to swerve suddenly as a hulking monster appeared with a golden glow, lighting up the darkness. The same kind of glow surrounded similar creatures nearby, all resembling sand-colored armadillos standing around eight feet tall and covered in thick carapaces.

Amelia grunted as she struck one of the creatures, the Humvee rebounding off its golden light and careening into another glowing monster. The Humvee couldn't sustain much more damage, as it already lacked windows and two doors, but they still found themselves stuck, bouncing around like a ping pong ball.

The odd rebound quality of the monster lights left Amelia and Two Tap in a confused daze.

A spiked tail from one of the giant armadillos whipped out and landed on the vehicle, launching it forward and aiding in Amelia’s attempts at escape. Seeing a chance to make their getaway, Amelia pushed the gas pedal to its furthest and drove away at full speed.

“This place sucks!” Amelia reiterated. She winced and turned toward the passenger seat. “No offense, Two Tap…”

Two Tap shook her head in confusion. She hailed from a Wasteland settlement, not the monster territories—nobody was from here. But the Wastelander girl didn’t understand that Amelia had no knowledge of this desolate land.

“Well,” mused the girl from the Heart Rings, “I guess it’s still exciting. I never get to leave the city on my own.” An ironic laugh escaped her lips. “You could say I’m on vacation!”

Two Tap’s confusion deepened.

As the sounds of the monster wave echoed through Liberty Heights, Amelia drove them around in search of Lucian. They had already checked the bowling alley where they last saw him, only to find it empty except for dead sheep-like creatures. There, they had been ambushed by the horned rabbits, which forced them to speed away in a panic.

Finally free from pursuit, Amelia eased off the gas pedal and searched more thoroughly, the rain seeming to be working against their efforts. Two Tap leaned halfway out of the broken passenger side window, scanning for the image of a young man in leather armor and a tool belt.

A pink figure walked into their path, blinded by the torrent of rain, and was struck by their vehicle.

“Was that a naked guy?!” Amelia cried out, stomping down on the brake to look back at what they hit.

“N-no, Melly!” Two Tap warned, her tan face losing its color. “D-demon!”

Upon the wet street, a pink figure rose to its feet, revealing itself to Amelia as a monster with clawed feet and hands and spiraling horns growing upward from its brow.

It suddenly charged.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Amelia declared with determination as she reversed the Humvee. The back of the vehicle collided with the demon, sending it flying backward. Unharmed, it quickly recovered and prepared to fight, only to shriek in frustration as the Humvee sped away.

“Demons are real?” Amelia asked in horror as they zoomed down the wet road.

Solemnly, Two Tap nodded. “D-demons are dangerous. They control people’s minds and eat them too. Demons have destroyed many Wastelander places.” She glanced at the side mirror, watching the pink figure of the demon in the rain begin to shrink as they traveled further away. “That demon can make more demons.”

Amelia eyed the Wastelander girl in shock. “That thing can give birth to more demons?” She felt uncertain. “I thought monsters lost the ability to procreate when they came into our world.” She wasn't sure about much when it came to the Anointed world, but she knew at least that much. Eventually, everyone wondered about this, only to be relieved to find out that monsters lost the ability to spawn offspring outside the Monster Gates.

Two Tap shook her head. “That demon can copy into more demons.”

“So, it can make clones then…” Amelia clarified.

“D-demon territory dangerous,” Two Tap cautioned with a meaningful look, the tininess of her voice seeming to grant her words more impact. “Demon mind control can catch Anointed too!”

Amelia nodded, wiping off nervous sweat from her forehead along with rainwater. “Then let’s just stay away from this part of the city.”

Their search for Lucian continued as they left for the other side of Liberty Heights, making sure to avoid the area where they had seen the pink demon.

***

The triumphant feeling of surviving against deadly odds permeated the insulated bunker, though it was somewhat diffused by the sound of the monster wave stampeding above and the ongoing storm. Still, the bunker’s inhabitants would survive. That’s all that mattered in the Wasteland.

Mich stood above the fallen demon corpse, half melted, his wrinkled face scrunched up in contemplation.

“[Incubus],” the old Wastelander remarked, his voice tinged with unease. “It must have been the mate of that [Succubus] from earlier. Fucking thing probably was after whoever killed its partner.”

“Teren…” a Wastelander woman sobbed uncontrollably, on both knees before the remains of what used to be her companion.

Mich looked to the others. “Someone get a hold of her.”

The Wastelander woman began to shriek the moment they grabbed her. “Teren!”

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Mich turned to two young men among them, commanding, “Get something to put this Teren fellow in. We return him to the earth.”

“…You mean go outside?” Wendy gasped, unsettled about the prospect of leaving the safety of the bunker.

“It’s dust to dust.” Mich sighed.

Other Wastelanders echoed, “Dust to dust.”

“We don’t leave men as meat to spoil. Back to dust for them,” Mich declared firmly.

The other Wastelanders repeated again, “Dust to dust.”

Asher had taken a seat, his already pale complexion whitening further, his breath uneven. He was an Anointed out of Mana and needed rest to recuperate his spent energy. The Corp Anointed watched the remains of the dead Wastelander get piled into a container found in the bunker. The remaining Wastelanders then began toward the door, container in hand.

“You think I’ll let you keep that door open?” Asher seethed at them. “To let something else come crawling in here?”

Mich pushed past the others and fell to his knees on the ground, bowing deeply.

He begged, “Lord Anointed, I beg of you to let us return one of our own to the earth!” His forehead was placed firmly flat against the floor.

About to curse at the old man, Asher became silent as the other Wastelanders rushed to touch their own foreheads to the ground. The Corp Anointed had suddenly become like a god with worshipers at his feet.

Mich threw a glance to Wendy who stood aside with uncertainty. Meeting his aged eyes, she nodded then fell to the floor too, bowing as low as she could, her red hair sweeping the floor.

“We beg you, Lord Anointed!” Mich pleaded.

“We beg you, Lord Anointed!” the other Wastelanders repeated, each voice a sorrowful cry for mercy.

“Damn dust eaters…!” Asher hissed, feeling the most discomfort he had ever felt in his entire life. “Fine then! If you’re not back within the hour, that door stays shut for good!”

“Thank you, Lord Anointed!” Mich shouted in reverence, his words echoed by the others.

“Get the fuck out of here already!”

The Wastelanders’ footsteps thudded as they ascended the stairs and entered the house above. Wendy darted ahead to check for monsters. When she gave the all-clear, everyone followed her outside.

“Teren!” the Wastelander woman cried, tears pouring down her face. Other Wastelanders held onto her to console her and to keep her from being too loud. They were in monster territory, after all.

The thunder had stopped, and only silent rain fell. Even the wind died down, as if the world knew a funeral was at hand and stayed its raging weather out of respect for the dead.

The Wastelanders stood in the front lawn, which had no grass, surrounding the container. The men dug with tools they procured from the bunker until they reached deep enough in the earth. Teren was then carefully placed into the ground with ropes, settled down into the hole by men waiting below, everyone cautious of the mud.

“Back into the earth,” Mich growled, his aged voice deep and irreverent. He then turned to the Wastelander woman who knew Teren.

She came forward, tears indistinguishable from the rain.

“My name is Phillipa,” she sniffed, tragedy leaving her indifferent to the terrible weather, “and Teren was a good man…” The Wastelander woman, Philipa, kept her words brief, knowing the danger they all risked being out here. She concluded her short eulogy with, “Teren goes back to the earth. Dust to dust.”

The other Wastelanders repeated, “Dust to dust.”

Down in the bunker, there was complete silence except the sound of rain and the far away stampeding horde of monsters.

Asher was leaned back in his chair, eyes closed trying to rest. A voice however, interrupted him.

“I didn’t know they held funerals…”

The Corp Anointed opened his eyes to see Lucian awake, staring up at the ceiling as he laid there on the table.

“What?” Asher prompted, brow furrowed against his headache brought on by lacking Mana.

“The Wastelanders,” Lucian clarified, his voice hoarse and weak, “I didn’t know they gave a fuck about shit like that.”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about, Crow.”

“I thought they were all a bunch of drug pushing assholes that needed to be put down. If you turn your back on one, they try to stab you. Isn’t that what they say in New DC?”

Asher turned away and closed his eyes again, replying, “That’s because it’s true. They’re more like animals than humans. Trust me. I’ve met enough of these dust barbarians.”

“Maybe Camelia’s right,” Lucian sighed, his eyes beginning to close, seeming as if he would fall unconscious again. “Maybe everyone does deserve to live…”

Asher had stopped listening, choosing instead to rest quietly, ignoring what he felt was Lucian’s incoherent ramblings. He could only rest for a few minutes before Lucian intruded on his peace again.

“Go get them.”

“Shut up, crow. I’m resting,” Asher snapped. There came silence.

The Crop Anointed glanced at Lucian to find him looking with agitation at the floor. Peering down, Asher saw the demon corpse that was there beginning to break down into what seemed like sand. He realized what caused Lucian to become flustered.

“Go get them,” Lucian repeated before being thrown into a coughing fit, blood staining his lips.

Asher scowled, “Who cares about them anyways?” He crossed his arms, seeming defiant of moving anywhere for anyone. “Good riddance to those animals.”

Lucian’s coughing finally settled, then he sighed and held up three fingers.

“Huh?”

“Three lives,” Lucian croaked, beginning to fall asleep. “You owe me…”

***

A mound of dirt had been piled up on the lawn atop the surface. Teren had officially been returned to the earth. The rain had begun to recede, becoming a light drizzle.

“Fucking Wasteland,” Mich growled, nodding solemnly in his drenched clothes. “It’s dust when we get here, it’ll be dust when we die. Fuck it. This man, Teren, is fucking off to a better fucking place, I fucking bet he is.”

There came hopeful nods from the others.

“My pa said there’s a heaven,” Wendy added bashfully, wiping away wet red hair from her face. “Sorry, I’m from a different outlands than here. We don’t do this ‘dust to dust’ thing out there. But pa says there’s a lot of food up in heaven and everybody you like is there too.”

She brought out smiles from some Wastelanders. Phillipa began to sob again.

Before anyone could say more, the Corp Anointed exited the house, stepping onto the muddy lawn with his fine dress shoes.

“Get back inside, now,” Asher demanded, glaring at them.

Mich had to hide away his incensed scowl. They couldn’t even have a funeral in peace without an Anointed spoiling things. There was no escape from these evil demi-gods. The old Wastelander wanted to curse at the Crop Anointed and tell him off, but Asher’s next words stilled him.

“The demon is still alive. That thing Crow killed was merely a clone created from one of the creature’s abilities.” He shoved a thumb backward toward the house. “So, get in or get left out here.”

A shrill, inhuman cry sent chills down their spines. The neighborhood was completely leveled in some places, providing clear lines of sight in certain spots. Down one such flattened avenue appeared an [Incubus], baring its sharp teeth at them, its eyes glowing bright pink.

“Get in now!” Asher roared.

The Wastelanders rushed back into the house and into the dilapidated kitchen. Scraping sounds of claws alerted them that the demon was already on the muddy lawn. Faces pale, they barreled down the stairs toward the bunker.

At the entrance, Lucian was waiting, leaning against the entryway. His loss of color from his declining health matched the tones of their frightened complexions. Blood streamed down from his injuries, some of which had reopened.

“Come on, hurry!” he weakly coaxed them onward.

“You should be in bed, hero!” Mich called out from the top of the stairs.

“The old dust eater is right. You shouldn’t be up, Crow,” Asher grunted, being the first to step into the bunker given his Anointed speed.

The other Wastelanders crashed in after him, falling to the floor in their haste. Everyone seemed to have made it, but as Asher moved to close the bunker, an ear-piercing scream pierced the air. Near the top of the stairs, Phillipa lay sprawled out on the steps.

The pink demon was also there, holding onto the Wastelander woman’s hair in its scaly grip.

“Phillipa!” Wendy shouted in panic.

“She’s done for,” Asher decided and made to shove the bunker shut when Lucian blocked him. Before Asher could say anything, Lucian limped out of the bunker, holding onto the walls for support.

“Get back here, Crow!” Asher hissed.

“Hero!” Mich shouted.

Lucian ignored the others and, shakily, stared up at the pink demon with a grin, “I heard you were looking for me, asshole.” The pink demon became rigid, immediately sensing something familiar about Lucian. “Yea, that’s right. It’s me, your lover’s killer.”

The pink demon couldn’t understand human speech, but it could sense the presence of its mate; the [Succubus]’s mark was upon this human. When Lucian began laughing while exuding the white glow of Aura, the demon became livid, finally associating the human before it with the one who had slain its mate. As realization appeared on the creature’s handsome face, Lucian laughed again to drive the point home.

Phillipa found her hair falling as the pink demon released her.

“That’s right, demon,” Lucian smirked, barely able to keep himself from falling down as he ascended each step. “It’s me you want.” He threw a glance toward the Wastelander woman and whispered, “Run. Now!”

Phillipa stumbled down the stairs without hesitation. Reaching the bottom, Wendy and Mich pulled her into the bunker.

“Now close the door,” Lucian barked. Asher stood frozen, unable to make a decision. “Close the door, Ash!”

Asher shook his head and moved to step outside to fight alongside him when he caught the look in Lucian’s eye.

“It’ll be alright, Ash,” Lucian grinned, assurance in his expression. “I promise.”

“You better know what you’re doing, Crow,” Ash responded warily, worry etching his face as he began to close the door. But as he did, the pink demon's claws pierced through Lucian’s chest.