"Who let Blaze near the explosives again?" I ask, exasperated.
Blaze’s mental state has deteriorated at an alarming rate. Before Halley, he was frequently labeled as unstable, yet he possessed a sharp sense of humor, strategic thinking, and a clever mind. Now he’s a volatile wildcard. A danger to himself and everyone else.
It's a full-time job babysitting him.
The only thing that calms him down is the blanket from Halleys old nest which he keeps bundled up in his rucksack. It doesn't smell like her anymore, but just holding it seems to bring him back to us, even for a few moments.
"Viper is on Blaze duty today," Shade replies sharply, and I can almost hear the frustration dripping through the radio receiver, but we won’t blame Viper. Not after last week, when we couldn’t wrest him from the edge of his Blood Lust for hours. He beat us bloody and then cried like a child when he discovered what he’d done.
Since then, he’s been relegated to a support role. If he goes into Blood Lust again, chances are he won’t come back. He'll die. Fuck, he'll probably kill us all too.
I guess that wouldn't be the worst thing. Might be good to put our sorry selves out of our misery.
Viper grunts over the radio. "Fucker bit me and got away."
I shake my head.
Of course he did.
We’ve been in a bad state since Halley left, but now it feels as though our squad is on the verge of imploding, and there’s no way to heal it.
Another wave of Humans rush over the hill, and I line them up in the scope of my rifle.
A loud whistling noise cuts through the air, and I throw myself behind an upturned tractor. The blast punches the earth, tossing gravel like teeth from a broken jaw. I hit the ground hard, my breath slammed from my lungs.
"Where the fuck did you get a grenade launcher?" I hear Shade shout as the dust settles and my ears stop ringing.
Blaze cackles.
I groan and speak into my radio again. "Shade, how copy?"
"I've got it handled, over!" He transmits, but I can hear Blaze protesting loudly in the background.
"Hey! Finder’s keepers, give it back!"
I allow five enemies to get close and vent my worries through my fists, caving in their skulls with heavy blows. It does nothing to help my gloomy mind.
The human army is relentless. They’ve driven us backwards day after day, and our mission is simple, stall them for as long as possible and stay alive.
Rheamont is a carbon copy of every shithole town we've been ordered to defend. Collapsing buildings, bad plumbing, no education, outdated tech, and enough bitterness in the air to choke you. The kind of place The Capital forgot existed.
That’s what makes the order even worse.
The Alphas behind gold-trimmed walls, fat on power and untouched by war, handed it down like it was just another memo:
Eliminate all noncompliant civilians.
Families. Children clinging to their mothers, too stubborn or scared to evacuate.
They’ve asked us to kill the very people we swore to protect.
That was the order that snapped the spine of my loyalty.
A lifetime of obedience shattered in a single moment.
Now that I’ve seen how the Betas live, I don't blame them for protesting and trying to grasp some control from The Capital. From now on, my squad and I are here to save lives, not crush the Beta resistance.
I’m so fucking tired of this constant, unending war. It doesn't matter how many Humans we kill. They. Just. Keep. Coming.
