TESSA POV
The wind cuts across the ridge, carrying dust with it, It sticks to everything. Even thoughts.
"They didn't retreat because of us."
Connor walks beside me, boots steady against the gravel.
"They pulled back before we even pushed through."
He said my name,not asked. Not guessed.
Like he already knew it. Like he'd seen me somewhere… why?
"If that's the case," Connor continues, "then something else forced them out."
His face when I first saw him, blood everywhere.
Still staring at me like I was the answer.
"How long do you think we have?" he asks. I don't answer.
"Grayson?"
"What?"
The way he studies me for a second…Too long.
"Before it turns," Connor repeats. "Sector 4 refugees. Sector 3 citizens. They're already clashing.
There's something about him… Miles.
"A week?" he presses. "Less?"
"Days," I say, automatic.
It's not what I'm thinking about.
"They're scared," he mutters. "And people like that don't stay quiet for long."
'You… I know you…' who says that to someone they just met?
My jaw tightens.
Connor deliberately stops in front of me, I bump first face into his chest.
"You're distracted."
"I'm not." a pause, "You've been off since the extraction."
His weak voice– It wasn't confusion, It was certainty. Why was he so certain?
I slightly shook my head, my thoughts along with it.
"I said I'm not."
The wind shifts.
Dust lifts off the ground in thin spirals.
"They didn't retreat," he says again, quieter now. "Not because of us."
Then why did they?
My fingers tighten slightly against the grip of my weapon.
And how does he know me?
"I don't know where your head's at Grayson, but I need you to get it together."
I look up at Connor.
"If they didn't retreat because of us, does it mean their attack wasn't random… were they searching for something?"
Connor glances sideways, his eyes strictly scanning the atmosphere.
"The higher ups suspect it wasn't a breach."
My brows drew closer in confusion.
"What?"
His voice drops to a whisper.
"Someone intentionally let them in."
My pulse quickened.
"If sector 4's breach was an inside job and we opened our gates to the survivors, that means…"
"Yes, Grayson." Connor's voice cuts mine.
"We opened the gates."
A beat.
"…and didn't check what came in."
Sirens blared through the wind. An automated voice cuts cracks through.
"Attack! Attack!... All units, sector 3 is under breach."
Connor and I exchange glances.
"Why are they here again?"
He runs towards the weaponry, I go toward the opposite direction.
Pulling out my pistol, my grip tightly clutching the gun. Soldiers rush out in different directions, rifles pointed to the sky, straight face and firm grip on their guns.
Orderly, slowly lining up into formation.
Distant Gunshots, explosions and screams crack the air. I point in the direction.
"We head there, hold for as long as we can until more firepower arrives."
They stomp their feet hard on the ground.
"Yes ma'am!"
We head into the distance away, clouds of smoke moving up the sky. My chest burned brightly,the smoke carried a taste of metal, burnt ash and blood on my tongue.
My boots trample on lifeless bodies laid out on the ground, movements flicker in the smoke fogs– too fast to catch.
My grip tightens, a drop of sweat runs down my eye, landing on my finger.
My blood spikes, snarls tore from the fogs, low growls– close. Too close.
A metal clangs loudly on the floor, we turn to our left, the figure throws both his hands in the air.
Light flickers on his face and it's Miles. Dirt covered in his face but still breathing, even when the bodies around him are dead. He's still alive.
How does he survive?
His lips parted to speak, as he approached closer.
He throws both his hands in the air, eyes fixed on me.
"They're…" but something burst through his back, claws. His feet leave the ground, his arms spread out wide.
A painful groan escaped his throat, blood spilled from his mouth. His eyes locked onto mine, fading, he stretches his fingers towards me, reaching out to me.
He was all I saw, all that came into view.
My finger tightens around the trigger, one missed shot could kill him…But he's dying already.
He's dragged into the dark corners. My pulse slowed, my movements stuttered. Figures snap at the edge of my eyes, I don't look.
I ignore it. Eyes still fixed on the corner he was dragged into, my heart heavy with… grief?
Why?
Then they lunged, from the clouds. Roar and scream erupts.
I back away slowly, my grip on the trigger loosen.
A roar snaps from behind,too close, I shift. Barely.
My back landed on the ground with impact.
It turns backwards, snarling. Razor sharp teeth, four eyes and thick saliva dripping from its mouth.
I crawl backwards, until…
My back meets solid. Nowhere left to go.
I fire my gun, bullet whistles through the air. It meets it but it doesn't retreat. It growls louder.
My heart dropped, my hand stiffened. This shouldn't be how it ends. Not for me.
It charges on its four legs, the distance closes in a flash.
It throws its claws up in the air, I turn my face sideways, sealing my eyes shut. Bracing for impact.
But it never happens…
Another growl erupts, I open my eyes to the scene that unfolds before me.
Another sentinel, clawing, tearing, at the sentinel that attacked me. It's blood splashing across the walls until it stopped moving.
It snapped its head to me for a brief moment, our eyes met and there was something in them… a soul.
It turns back, a roar rips from its voice. Loud, angry… almost human.
Everything pauses, the sentinels back away slowly, then retreat into the smokes.
Its attention snaps back to me, reinforcements arrive in time.
Suddenly, a bone cracks. Then again, and again, its skin begins to fall. The creature that stood above begins to change. No… Transform.
I staggered to my feet, its claws fell off and a hand remained. A human hand.
The fallen skin evaporated into the air and from the steam he stood.
White hair, grey eyes.
He takes a step towards me, his eyes roll backwards and he collapses– I catch him, before I could stop myself.
His head rested on my shoulders, I felt his heart pound softly against my chest. Breathing, alive… human.
In that moment a realization hits.
What if the sentinels weren't looking for something… what if they were looking for someone.