Julius felt the bugs descending upon them like a biblical plague of locusts, threatening to consume everything in their path. He had to act fast. Without hesitation, he scooped up Ramona in his arms and turned and fled towards the house. The swarm followed close behind, crashing into the ground just inches behind him. Julius could feel their presence, their hunger, as they nipped on his heels.

As he ran, Julius noticed that half a dozen of Dicks werewolves were being pulled into the house by the bugs, their bodies a mess of blood and gore after being attacked by the bugs.

"Everyone get inside the house!!!" Julius called as he rushed forward the wall of bugs behind him, doing more to get them to hurry up than anything he could say.

The wolves gave up any pretense of being human, shifting into their larger lycanthrope forms. They tossed the bodies of their comrades over their shoulders and sprinted back towards the house. Julius let his own magic twist around his body, and the next second, he shot forwards, practically flying across the ground as he sprinted away from the swarm and into the house.

"Seal the door!" Julius said as he slid into the house.

The wolves shut the door the moment Julius flew over the welcome mat. The moment the door was closed, the wolves brought out a fast-acting sealant and began to press it into every crack and crevice in the door. Julius reflected that they would have to smash the door down to get out of the house after they were done with the door.

Instantly the wolves started to seal up the door, not leaving a single crack open.

Julius dropped his spell and tossed Ramona onto the couch. It wasn't polite, but if his blood got into her system, she would be in an even worse state, which was saying something because she was in a terrible state already.

Ramona's body was a mess. Large chunks of flesh had been stripped off of her body, and her skin had somehow turned an even darker shade of brown.

Julius pulled out a bundle of health potions and started to feed her the potions carefully. Immediately her wounds started to close up, and her body regenerated. As her body healed, Julius recognized why her skin was a different colour. She had somehow cast bark skin on herself, turning her skin into something closer to oak. But when did she cast bark skin on herself? When did she learn bark skin?! When did she learn how to produce corpse blooms and blood vines, for that matter? When did she learn how to do magic? He had only taught her the first step in the complicated dance that was spellcraft. Getting from that to actually casting a spell meant she was either the greatest prodigy of nature magic he had ever seen or someone had taught her magic before he had even met her. Unfortunately, these were questions for later.

Julius was dragged out of his various thoughts by Dick's voice calling out to everybody.

"Did everyone get inside?" Dick asked.

"Yes, sir. Those plants gave us enough breathing room to get everyone to safety." Oak said.

"Thank God. Julius, do you have any health potions?" Dick asked as he turned to him.

Julius absent-mindedly tossed Dick a bundle of the blood-red potions on reflex. He wasn't paying attention, though. He was keeping an eye on Ramona as her body knitted itself back together to the background noise of the bugs. Buzzing wings reverberated throughout the entire house as they searched for an entrance into the building. The entire building was vibrating along with the wings of the Locusts.

"Think she is going to be okay?" Julius asked as Dick sat down next to him.

"Of course, she will. Kid's a fighter." Dick comforted Julius as the buzzing continued through the night.

🜁🜀🜪🜰🝎🜘🜎

Ramona was suffocating as a million insects swarmed over her, buzzing and crawling on her skin. She couldn't see anything but their carapaces. She couldn't hear anything but their incessant Buzzing, and every second, she could feel thousands of their legs crawling over her body and hundreds of their sharp mandibles biting and nibbling at her flesh.

Panic began to set in as they clung to her like a living blanket. Tears streamed down her face as she realized she was trapped, helpless against the onslaught. Her heart was beating so fast she was sure it was about to burst. She could feel them crawling into her hair, into her ears, into her mouth.

Ramona woke with a scream that ripped its way out of her throat. She was covered in sweat, and her breath came in short gasps. The nightmare had been so vivid, so terrifying.

"Hey, hey," Julius held her as she flailed around in a panic.

"You're fine. You're fine. Relax."

Ramona took deep gulping breaths as she took in her surroundings. She tried to sit up on the couch. But the panic was already taking hold. Her hands shook as she clenched and unclenched repeatedly, and she felt a tightness in her chest that made it hard to breathe. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and put her head in her hands, trying to steady her breathing.

"Hey," Julius said. Ramona turned to see Julius, looking as stoic as ever, but she could see the concern in his eyes. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to the couch she was lying on.

"Hey," Ramona replied, trying to hide the shakiness in her voice.

"How are you feeling?" Julius asked.

"I'm okay," Ramona said, even though she wasn't sure if it was true. "What happened?"

"Magical Locusts descended on the town. You got swarmed. I pulled you out," Julius replied, his voice flat.

Ramona's heart raced as the memory of the attack flooded back to her. She remembered the biting, the itching, the overwhelming feeling of helplessness as she was swarmed by what felt like a million tiny creatures.

She shuddered, trying to shake the memory away.

"I thought that was a dream," Ramona said, looking at Julius.

"It wasn't," Julius said. "You've been asleep since last night. Fortunately, we had some health potions on hand, so physically, you're fine."

"I don't remember anything after being attacked," Ramona said, trying to keep her voice steady.

Julius didn't say anything for a moment, and Ramona wondered if he was going to tell her what had happened.

"We can talk about that after the mission," Julius said, his voice softer than before.

"Thank you for being here," Ramona said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Julius nodded, his face unreadable.

"Well, I am just happy you're alive. It would have been a mountain of paperwork if you died." Julius said.

"Thanks," Ramona replied with a half-hearted chuckle. "I'm glad to still be here too."

Julius may have been distant, but at least he seemed to care. And she appreciated his dry sense of humour. It was comforting in a strange way. She looked at him for a moment, noticing the weariness in his eyes. She wondered just how many times he had been in this situation. She made a mental note to try and connect with him more, to see if he would be willing to open up about his experiences. For now, though, she was just grateful to be alive and to have Julius and the rest of the team by her side.

Taking a deep breath, Ramona forced a smile and tried to lighten the mood. "So, does that mean you're going to fill out all the paperwork if I die?" she teased, hoping to get a laugh out of him.

Julius's lips curled upwards in a small smile, and he chuckled. "Of course not. That's what interns are for," he said, his tone lightening up slightly.

Ramona couldn't help but smile at his response, feeling grateful for the distraction.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"I have to admit it, kid. I was a little worried there the first time is always the hardest, but look at you. You pulled through and doing better already."

Ramona narrowed her eyes at him.

"The first time?" she asked hesitantly. "What first time?"

"Tramua," Julius said. "A lot of agents can't come back from it, I had one partner who had his legs and one of his arms ripped off. He survived, and we were even able to regenerate his limbs. But he couldn't get over what happened, so he left."

Julius shrugged.

"How much do you remember of how your experience with the bugs ended?" he asked.

Ramona frowned as she traced through her memories, shuddering at the bugs as she tried to remember how she got from there to here.

"I remembered panicking, I… I reached for something and … and," she said. She couldn't actually explain what she did in words.

"You unleashed a spell or an ability depending on how you look at it. You created several carnivorous plants. Blood vines tore apart the bug and grew out of their bloodstreams. And Corpse blooms, They pop out of the corpses and release deadly pollen that isn't only toxic. It also nourished plant life. The devastation gave me the space to get you to safety." Julius said

"Really," Ramona asked excitedly.

It sounded amazing.

"Yeah," Julius said, a cruel smile unfolding on his face. "Now try and imagine what would happen if you used those spells in an enclosed space with lots of people, say a mall."

"Oh … oh." Ramona gasped in horror. "That would be …."

"And that's why the BPA exists. This isn't a job for the faint of heart. So if you're having issues right now, you feel the need to have a breakdown or a cry. I need you to push that all the way down and keep it there until we get back to the BPA. Until then, we need to keep our shit together and get the job done. Are you still up for it?" Julius asked.

Ramona nodded, determination blossoming in her heart.

"Hell yeah," she muttered.

"I'm not quitting," she said more strongly.

Ramona walked out of the small room she had been in and into the living room. She stopped as she finally noticed the wolves. Before, they had all looked human, with nothing to suggest anything inhuman about them. Now, however, all of them were bipedal wolves, full-on werewolves with wolf heads, fur and claws. It looked like they had all gained an extra hundred pounds in muscle and an extra foot in height.

There was an immediate shift in the atmosphere as she entered. The wolves, who had previously given her a bit of a cold shoulder, now turned to greet her with smiles and nods. They even made room for her at the table, offering her a seat and a cup of coffee.

"Hey, Ramona! Glad to see you made it," one of the wolves said, clapping her on the back.

Ramona was taken aback by the sudden change in attitude towards her. She was expecting to be met with the same indifference as before, but instead, they treated her like one of their own. As they chatted about the mission ahead and exchanged stories, Ramona couldn't help but feel grateful for the new sense of camaraderie that had formed between them. She had earned their respect, and it felt good.

Even Dick approached her with a smile. His expression conveyed both gratitude and relief. Surprisingly, he hadn't transformed into a werewolf like the rest of the wolves. Nonetheless, the six-foot-tall black man's presence was still more imposing than any of the werewolves.

Ramona was jolted out of her thoughts as Dick spoke to her. "Glad to see you're feeling better, kid. Are you alright?"

"Um, yes, sir, I'm ready to continue onwards."

"Uh-huh," Dick nodded, unconvinced but willing to accept her word on it.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did last night," he said, nodding in appreciation.

She fidgeted nervously. "I, um, I didn't even know what I was doing," she admitted, feeling guilty. She hadn't been thinking about saving anyone else but herself. Although she knew there was nothing to feel guilty about.

"I understand that," Dick replied, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "But you saved my team. If it weren't for you, we would have lost at least six people, maybe more. Thanks to you, my wolves have another chance to go home to their families."

Ramona's cheeks flushed with a mixture of pride and guilt. "Um, thanks," she said, avoiding his gaze.

Dick smiled kindly. "Don't sell yourself short, kid. You should be proud of your actions, even if they were unintentional. Saving a life, even accidentally, is something to take pride in."

Meeting his gaze, Ramona felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. "Thanks," she whispered softly. "I'm just glad everyone is okay."

Dick nodded in agreement. "Me too. We can't afford to lose anyone else."

Ramona took a deep breath, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. She had done something good, even if it was unintentional, and she needed to remember that. She was ready to face whatever came next. Then Julius opened his mouth.

"Well, enough of that then," Julius said as he moved towards the door. "The bugs left six minutes ago with the dawn, so let's go and see the damage."

Ramona felt her insides twist in sudden terror.

"Wait! Stop! What are you doing?! They could still be out there!!!" Ramona cried out as Julius twisted the doorknob. Ramona felt her heart threaten to stop as the image of the Locuts bursting through the door twisted through her head.

The door didn't swing open. Instead, it fell off its hinges with a loud Bang. The door, having lost all structural integrity through the night. The early morning sunlight streamed into the room as the sun rose just over the horizon.

"Good morning Vietnam!" Julius called out with a smile as he walked outside, not a care in the world.

Ramona ran outside after him and stopped. She looked around the once picturesque snowy town, now utterly destroyed by the dead plant life. The ground was now choked in a thick layer of withered vines. Dead flowers covered the nearby buildings. What beauty they might have once had was gone as they now hung off the buildings dead and brown.

She was honestly surprised at the amount of power that had been unleashed here.

"What happened?!" she asked.

"Well, the bugs attacked you, and you went down. And then you unleashed this." Julius said. "Corpse Blooms and Blood Vines. On their own, they're deadly. Combined, you end up with a pretty mass grave."

Ramona looked at destruction in a new light. Had she done this? The locusts that had once swarmed the town were nowhere to be seen. Even their corpses had been consumed by the plants as they grew and multiplied.

Despite the success of her attack in stopping the locusts, Ramona couldn't help but feel uneasy at the sight of the once-beautiful town now covered in the decaying remains of her plants.

The air was thick with the sickly sweet smell of dying plants, and Ramona could feel the pollen floating through the air. It was a stark contrast to the peaceful, snowy little town she had seen upon arriving.

As Ramona looked around, she couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and fear at the power she held within her. She knew that she needed to learn how to control it, to channel it in a way that wouldn't cause harm to others. But for now, she could only stand there and stare at the destruction she had caused.

As she looked around, she saw something out on the skyline, and she could just make out the insect swarm fleeing the light as they flew toward the mountains. Even that sight made her flinch, but she steeled her resolve and watched them until she calmed down.

"Okay, The bugs do not like light," Julius said as he observed the bugs with her.

One of the wolves with deep lines under his eyes spoke up. "Okay, that's the best news I've heard all day. Let's go home," he begged, clearly eager to leave to get the hell out of there and head back home.

Julius, however, remained calm and collected. "Yeah, that's not happening," he said firmly.

"What?! Why not?! What possible reason could we have to stay here?!" the wolf demanded, confused and frustrated.

"We still have a job to do," Julius explained, taking a moment to survey their surroundings. "We have to go after them. We have to get to the bottom of this."

The wolf still seemed hesitant. "Do we really have to? We're being attacked by flying mushroom bugs. It's not safe here."

Julius let out a tired sigh before turning to the wolf. "I'm sorry, what's your name?" he asked, trying to be patient.

"Charlie," the wolf replied.

"Well, Charlie, our job is to go to the research station and retrieve the information there. Have we done that?" Julius asked, hoping to remind them of their mission.

"No," Charlie admitted.

"So, are you just too scared to go onward?" Julius asked, challenging the wolf's bravery.

But then he pointed to Ramona and said, "The rookie's going. She got swarmed, and she is more than brave enough to keep going."

Ramona beamed with pride as Julius praised her. She was pretty sure it was the first compliment Julius had ever given her. She straightened her back and puffed out her chest, showing confidence and determination as Julius continued to speak.

"So, I ask you again, Charlie. Are you coming with us?" Julius asked his tone firm but fair.

"Yes, sir!" Charlie shouted back.

"Alright then, everybody, get some food, empty your bladder, and maybe take a quick nap. We're leaving in thirty minutes," Julius said dismissively as he turned to Dick.

"Do we know if there are any mines in the mountains those bugs are heading to?" he asked.

"Pretty sure," Dick said. "I'll check with Carl for specifics, but I'm fairly confident they had a mining operation up here at some point."

"And the research station northwest of here?" Julius asked

"Yep," Dick confirmed. "At least we now have a better idea of what wiped out THX 1137. But we still need to check in on the base. Everyone, grab your gear, especially all the explosives. I want us ready to leave in thirty minutes. I need two volunteers to take the civilian back to the airport."

Oak spoke up. "Um, sir, the dogs are gone. We have nothing to pull the dog sleds."

"We have werewolves, have a few people shift into their wolf form and pull the sleds." Julius said dissmivly.

Some of the wolves shot him an offended glare, but no one seemed willing to argue the point.

"Come on," Julius nudged her. "Let's get some food in you."

In what felt like no time at all, they were ready to go.

"So, have you made up your mind?" Julius asked her.

Ramona mulled over her words before she spoke

"Can you show me how to do this again?" Ramona asked.

Julius' face split into a wide evil smile.

"I would love to."