Angel’s stomach growled as she leaned against the crumbling wall of a convenience store, a protein bar clutched in her trembling hand. She barely had time to finish chewing before Ryan called out from across the street.

“Angel! South perimeter!” he shouted, his voice strained as he fired his massive weapon into a swarm of insect-like creatures scuttling toward him.

She straightened, inhaling sharply as she focused her energy. The shield wavered for a moment, its edges flickering, before stabilizing again. The translucent barrier encased Altus, Oklahoma, trapping the grotesque creatures inside while protecting the rest of the world. Angel could feel every vibration as the creatures slammed against the energy field, their attempts to break free sending sharp jolts of pain through her body.

Her hand brushed against her utility belt, fingers tightening around the hilt of her combat knife. She could fight, yes—but the shield demanded constant energy. Her body burned calories faster than Michaela’s scanners could calculate, forcing her to eat constantly just to stay upright.

"Shield’s still holding," Angel called back to Ryan, her voice hoarse. "Keep them off me!"

Ryan didn’t respond, too busy mowing down the swarm with his gun. Chitinous legs snapped and flew as the creatures dissolved into dark, tar-like pools. Their acidic blood sizzled against the asphalt, releasing a stench so foul it made Angel gag.

Before the battle, Michaela and Hannah had worked tirelessly to set up cameras across the city, mounting them on buildings, streetlights, and even the group themselves. Every movement, every attack, was being recorded. Michaela insisted they needed to study the creatures in detail to find weaknesses.

Angel remembered Michaela’s warning before the first wave hit: “We don’t know enough about them. We need data—lots of it—or we’re fighting blind.”

Now, as the creatures attacked in relentless waves, Angel felt the weight of that truth. They had no choice but to fight and gather samples in the chaos.

The first wave had been bad. The second was worse.

The insect-like creatures came first, their bodies sleek and armored, with jagged legs that moved unnaturally fast. They swarmed through the streets, climbing over abandoned cars and broken barricades. Angel stabbed one through the head, the sharp crack of its exoskeleton vibrating up her arm. Black fluid sprayed onto her gloves, the smell of decay making her stomach churn.

“More incoming!” Ryan shouted, pointing to a group of zombie-like creatures shuffling toward them. Their human hosts were grotesquely twisted, their skin stretched and mottled. Some moved sluggishly, while others sprinted with terrifying speed, their hollow eyes glowing faintly.

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Angel took a step back, bracing herself. One of the zombies lunged at her, and she raised her shield instinctively. The creature slammed into the barrier with a sickening thud, its body disintegrating as the shield’s energy surged through it. Angel winced. Every time the shield killed something, she felt the recoil like a punch to the gut.

“Angel, I need samples!” Michaela’s voice crackled through her comm.

“Kind of busy right now!” Angel snapped, dodging another attack.

Ryan leaped to her side, his weapon firing in short, controlled bursts. “I’ll cover you. Grab what you can.”

Angel dropped to one knee, pulling a sample kit from her belt. She scraped a chunk of exoskeleton from a fallen insect creature, her gloves slick with alien fluids. “Got it!” she yelled, tossing the sealed container toward Ryan. He caught it and lobbed it into the makeshift collection bin Michaela had set up nearby.

Above them, Hannah’s voice came through the comms. “The alien ones are gathering near the courthouse. I’m sending a drone to get a closer look.”

The alien species was the most dangerous. They didn’t swarm like the insects or stumble like the zombies. They were strategic, humanoid in appearance but unnervingly alien, with elongated limbs and sharp, predatory movements. They coordinated the attacks, issuing high-pitched clicks that sent the other creatures into a frenzy.

“They’re targeting the cameras,” Jocelyn’s voice cut in, calm despite the chaos. “Hannah, keep an eye on the east sector.”

“I’m on it,” Hannah replied, her tone sharp. She was somewhere in the city, frantically rigging traps and modifying weapons. “Angel, don’t let them near the shield’s generator. If that goes down—”

“It won’t,” Angel interrupted, slashing another zombie across the chest. “I’ve got this.”

Hours passed, and the battle showed no signs of stopping. Angel’s legs ached, her vision swam, and her stomach growled incessantly. She shoved another protein bar into her mouth, chewing as fast as she could. Her shield flickered briefly, and panic shot through her.

“Angel, focus!” Jocelyn’s voice was sharp now. “Don’t let it drop.”

“I know!” Angel snapped back, her tone harsher than intended. She closed her eyes for a brief second, drawing on every ounce of strength she had left. The shield solidified again, its glow brightening.

Ryan clapped her on the back as he reloaded his weapon. “You’re doing great, Angel. Just a little longer.”

She glared at him. “Easy for you to say. You’re not holding up a city.”

Ryan grinned, firing another round into the advancing swarm. “No, but I am saving your butt.”

The banter helped, even if only for a moment. Angel wiped the sweat from her brow, gripping her knife tighter as another wave of creatures advanced. The shield hummed, a constant reminder of her burden. She wouldn’t let it fall. She couldn’t.

As the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, the creatures finally began to retreat. The streets were littered with bodies—alien, insect, and human. The air was thick with the stench of blood, rot, and burning flesh.

Angel collapsed against the wall of a nearby building, her breathing ragged. “How’s everyone holding up?” she asked through the comm.

“Barely,” Michaela replied, her voice exhausted. “But we’ve got a ton of data to work with.”

“Shield’s still up,” Jocelyn added. “Good work, Angel.”

Angel closed her eyes, the weight of the night crashing down on her. The battle was over—for now. But she knew this was just the beginning. The creatures wouldn’t stop, and neither could they.

“Get some rest,” Jocelyn said softly. “You’ll need it.”

Angel nodded, though she knew rest wouldn’t come easy. Not with the war ahead.