Page 44 of Beast in the Badlands
“Emry!” Renn’s voice cuts through the mayhem, a command mixed with urgency. “Get them moving!”
I nod, adrenaline thrumming through me as I dive behind cover—a crumbling wall offering scant protection. The civilians stare wide-eyed, caught between terror and necessity as they watch these creatures they once feared leap into action.
“Get your heads down!” I shout to them, pushing one woman who’s frozen in place. Her eyes widen as she glances at the Reapers carving a path through our foes.
A blaster bolt flies past my ear; I duck instinctively. My heart races as I scan for more civilians needing assistance.
Then I see a fierce female Reaper commanding attention amid the chaos. She towers over everyone else, her long hairwhipping like shadows in the wind as she takes down an enemy soldier with a swift kick that sends him sprawling.
“Keep moving!” she barks to Renn's crew, voice sharp enough to slice through the din around us.
A human woman by her side raises her weapon and yells back in defiance, “We need to regroup, Nyra! This isn’t over yet!”
She suddenly appears beside me—a blur of motion—as she snaps off a shot at an approaching enemy while keeping her gaze locked on me. “You need to patch them up! I'll cover you.”
I nod, heart hammering in my chest. She stands tall beside me, fiercely protecting my right flank while bullets rain around us like deadly confetti. With trembling hands, I pull out gauze and sealant from my med kit just as two civilians stumble into view—bloodied but alive.
"I'm Ava, by the way," she says, like we aren't one wrong move away from dying.
"Emry," I shout back.
"I know. Renn told me."
The mention of his name sends butterflies through me, but they're chased away as the two civilians try to crawl away.
“Hold still!” I bark at them as Ava fires again, taking down another assailant with deadly precision.
They wince but comply; one holds his arm close to his chest where blood seeps through torn fabric while the other looks too dazed to react. As I work quickly on their wounds mid-firefight—my hands steady despite chaos—I catch glimpses of Nyra moving fluidly across the battlefield.
But even with this fierce crew fighting alongside us, we’re still hopelessly outnumbered. The enemy keeps coming like waves crashing against our fragile defenses.
Another explosion rocks our position; dirt and debris rain down on us. Panic wells up inside me again as I see moresoldiers advancing in tight formation—blasters raised high above their heads.
“We can’t hold them forever!” Ava grits out beside me, urgency creeping into her voice.
“Just keep fighting!” I urge back while treating a gash on the first civilian’s arm—every stitch feels like it pulls against time itself.
But even my words taste hollow when faced with reality: slowly but surely, they’re closing in on us again. The weight of despair settles heavy in my gut—the thought that we might lose this fight threatens to swallow me whole.
My hands tremble as fear wraps its claws around my heart; we can't give up now—not when so many lives hang in the balance—but for how much longer can we keep standing?
CHAPTER 34
RENN
The ground shakes with every mortar hit, sending tremors through my bones. Smoke billows, mingling with the stench of burnt flesh and scorched earth. I stay low, heart pounding as I keep my eyes on the chaos unfolding around me.
Ava ducks beside Kairon, her determination a stark contrast to the horror surrounding us.
“Time to stop fucking around,” she says, voice steady despite the carnage.
Nyra shouts back, her tone incredulous. “Are you crazy? That’s not a party trick!”
I can see Kairon weighing his options, his gaze darting between Ava and the incoming wave of enemy soldiers. Finally, he nods—reluctantly but resolutely.
Ava bolts toward the dropship like a comet streaking through darkness, moving with purpose that defies the chaos erupting around her.
Emry’s breathless voice pulls me from my thoughts. She watches Ava disappear into the fray, eyes wide with uncertainty. “What’s she doing?”
