The 4 Ergals had just existed the base and head on the route shown to them by the screen on the motorcycle.

-“Fuck…I wish I stayed home…” Whispers Mary to herself inside her helmet.

Suddenly she hears a voice talk like it was inside her helmet.

-“You know these things have microphones right?” It was Fedora, who heard what Mary said, giggling to herself.

-“WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME SOONER?” Says Mary embarrassed.

-“I thought you knew…” Says Sylvia.

-“Oops sorry…I thought the same thing…” Says Linn.

Fedora laughs.

-“Oh c’mon now leave the fuckery and let’s have a bit of fun!”

The road they were on was old, wet asphalt full of autumn leaves that no wind from any car blew away.

Fedora accelerates her bike, hearing the powerful demonic engine roar under her.

-“HOLY FUCKING SHIT! This thing is a demon HELL YEAH!”

Her motorcycle accelerates aggressively in front of everyone else.

Sylvia sighs as her, Mary and Linn were left behind.

-“Be careful Fedora, the conditions are not right for that kind of speed.”

-“Pfft spare me your lecture, I can handle myself.” Says Fedora.

She speeds up even more, taking very sharp turns, leaning her bike at sharp angles.

After a few more close calls, one particularly sharp turn, the angle of her tires on the asphalt was too small for the low friction of the leaves on the wet asphalt, and the motorcycle slips.

Her motorcycle begins spinning around at high speed while still moving forward on the road.

-“FEDORA!” Yells Sylvia loudly in her helmet, her voice cracking and scared.

-“OH GOD!” Says Linn her voice weak and terrified.

Mary stares in disbelief, lifting her head over Sylvia’s shoulder so she can see what was happening.

They speed up to reach her quicker.

Fedora’s bike keeps spinning around wildly, but somehow, before the girls reach her, she manages to take control of the bike and balance it again. Ironically, the bike stops spinning with bike facing the girls.

Linn breaks hard, leaving lines on the asphalt, she comes up to Fedora running, she takes off her helmet, her face utterly terrified and shaken.

-“ARE YOU OKAY FEDORA? Oh gosh you scared my soul out of me!”

She hugs Fedora tight, pressing her helmet against her chest, against the fabric of her navy blue coat.

-“I know you love those kind of high speed flashy things but please be more careful…you nearly gave me a heart attack seeing your motorcycle spin around like that so fast…I thought…” she trails off.

-“I’m sorry…” Says Fedora softly inside her helmet, but loud enough so Linn could hear her even though she had taken her helmet off.

Sylvia reaches them too and gets off her bike in an angry manner, taking off her helmet quickly, her 4 dark ponytails swinging wildly as she shakes her head.

She walks towards them with urgency looking at Fedora.

-“For fuck’s sake Fedora what were you thinking? I told you the road is fucked yet you nearly turned yourself into road kill!” She says while gesturing around the road with her hands, her silvery eyes locked on Fedora.

-“I did just fine what the fuck do you mean? The bike is intact, good as new, and I am in one piece too, plus, even if I wasn’t, I am an Ergal, it would heal quickly I’m n-“

-“Yeah it would fucking heal if your magnitude was anything else but 0 and as far as I am fucking concerned it’s null right now…you know well that once an Ergal dies there’s no way to activate their flowers to make them heal or break them from the reaper’s grip!”

Fedora rolls her eyes inside the helmet and sighs.

-“Whatever…”

-“It’s really not whatever! You want to sign out when a full on planetary war might be at our doorstep? From a motorcycle accident, really? I don’t know how you figured it out, either you’re an expert driver or stupidly lucky.”

Fedora groans and stands up straight, Linn letting go of her helmet.

-“Yeah well calm your ass down, I won’t go as fast anymore, I don’t want to risk ruining the bike.”

Fedora turns her bike around and stays silent few seconds.

-“WELL? What are you waiting for, let’s go.”

Linn was already geared up and back on her bike.

Sylvia sighs, she puts on her helmet and gets back on her bike.

They all leave the forest, and continue the route towards Keshnit.

They drive for about half an hour, a silent awkward ride.

They enter the small town, their motorcycles going much slower now, and their gazes far sharper left and right for any Selvim.

-“We need a place to stay where I can report safely, tell me if you find anything.”

Says Sylvia.

As they drive around the town, Fedora sees a small abandoned store in the distance and her eyes seem to light up.

-“Hey is that store up ahead good? I mean it seems really peaceful and has plenty of windows so easy to spot any enemies.”

Sylvia turns her head to look in the direction Fedora was pointing towards.

-“Seems fine to me.”

They drive to the store and park their motorcycles next to the store, not bothering to actually park them in a parking lot since there was no one else driving around there anyway.

They get off their bikes, take off their helmets and walk towards the store.

Mary and Sylvia go first while Linn stays behind to wait for Fedora.

Fedora takes off her helmet and immediately places her hand over her covered eyes.

-“Can you hold this for me please?”

She says as she hands Linn her helmet.

-“Yeah sure!” Says Linn.

Fedora touches around with her hand to find the trunk of her motorcycle, she opens it and puts on her glasses, the frames clicking in place around the cartilage of her ear.

-“Alright let’s go”

Linn giggles watching Fedora.

Fedora looks at her face confused.

-“What?”

-“You look so cute scurrying around for your glasses while covering your eyes!”

Fedora blushes, her face turning a rosy pink.

-“T-thanks…come now let’s go”

Linn giggles to herself as they walk in front of the store to the main sliding glass doors which Sylvia was standing next to.

Just then they hear Mary yell.

-“Watch ouuuut!”

They both step back and just as they turn into the direction of the sound.

Mary had a brick from the pavement in her hand, and before they can process what they saw, she throws it at the glass doors shattering them.

-“HAH! All done now!”

Fedora looks at her with a surprised look.

-“I thought you only play mind games where the fuck did all that muscle come from?!”

-“She’s not as weak as she seems.”

Says Sylvia as she ducks, walking through the broken glass door.

-“The doors are no longer functional and we needed a way to get in…and Mary was very inventive…”

Fedora huffs.

-“Out of character…”

Mary walks past her with a smile.

-“Cry about it.”

She says as she walks through the glass door.

Fedora turns around more confused than ever, looking at Linn to make sure they both heard the same thing.

Linn shrugs, not sure of what was happening either.

Fedora and Linn walk in too after them.

-“Say uh…Sylvia did you inject her with some needle you found around here or…?”

Says Fedora as she looks at Mary smashing the refrigerator doors or displays, anything made out of glass with a bat she found put up on one of the walls.

Sylvia huffs and smiles.         

-“No, she’s fine, she just likes breaking stuff when she gets the chance…no one owns this place anymore, it’s a wreck anyway.”

-“A wreck you say? Look at all the food and drinks left here! It is a GOLD MINE, especially the canned ones that haven’t been opened!”

-“Most of it must be expired…I really don’t recommend you do that…”

Fedora groans and walks away.

-“Why does everyone hate fun? You can go ahead and have your little chat with Catherine while I look around here, the area around the store is safe too.”

Fedora walks to the back of the store where the fridges haven’t been destroyed by Mary yet.

She looks around in there for a bit, and pulls out a can of soda and looks at it curiously.

Linn walks after her.

-“Well, it doesn’t have an expiry date but…since it’s canned I don’t think it’s spoiled or anything…” Says Fedora shrugging as she opens the can with her nail.

-“You really wanna risk it?” Says Linn.

Fedora brings the opened can closer to her nose and she sniffs it.

-“I mean why the fuck not, it’s free after all, and it smells just fine…here I go…”’

She lifts the can and takes one small sip.

-“MAN OH MAN! It tastes amazing! And it’s still perfectly fizzy too! Holy shit how lucky can I be!”

She lifts the can and takes two big gulps out of the can.

-“You want some too? Come on you have to try it no way I got this lucky and now I get rejected” Says Fedora as she extends her hand in which she had the can towards Linn.

-“I’m not so sure…but you said it’s good so…”.

Linn reluctantly takes the can from Fedora and starts drinking.

Fedora watches closely, the way Linn’s lips wrap around the edge of the can where her own lips were a few seconds ago, the way the skin on her neck moves and stretches when she swallows the soda, the way her long slender fingers hold the can so gently.

Her eyes were frozen in time, watching Linn with every single photoreceptor in her retinas.

Fedora’s hands were behind her back, her nails pinching the skin on her thumb as she watches Linn, looking up at her.

She keeps pinching the skin, almost bruising it from how hard she was squeezing but just then Linn stops drinking and hands her the soda back.

-“Woah, it’s actually good, didn’t expect that to be honest, you really are one lucky gal! haha!”

Fedora giggles too.

-“Guess I’m finally having a good day!”

They walk back to Sylvia to see what she told Catherine.

-“Well? What did miss Catherine say?” Says Linn.

-“I have informed the Ergarch that the area is indeed selvim safe and that she can send the supply convoy. They will be here shortly. She told me we will leave the motorcycles here and they will be taken by the Kola’s soldiers, we will return with the quadcopter.”

-“Awhhh what come on man…I love my motorcycle…we still get them back after this is over right?” Says Fedora.

-“Indeed.” Says Syliva.

-“FUCK YEAH!” Yells Fedora, jumping up with her fist raised.

About half an hour passes and the convoy trucks begin arriving.

Fedora was laying on top of the counter on her back, she stands up while seeing the trucks, and walks over to Sylvia.

-“Man I don’t feel so good to be honest…like my stomach feels all…huge…like I am about to throw up…shit…” She trails off as she runs behind the store to throw up.

Sylvia turns around and she looks at Linn who was leaning against one of the walls next to one of the shelves, her face a bit pale.

-“You okay Linn? You look pale.”

Linn exhales and walks out of the broken glass door aswell.

-“I really don’t feel well…I feel just like Fedora…so nauseous and lightheaded…”

Sylvia puts her hand on the bridge of her nose, she exhales deeply, her eyes closed and her eyebrows frowned.

-“Did you eat anything from the shelves?”

-“No…but Fedora and I drank some soda she found in one of the broken refrigerators…” Says Linn weakly, her back hunched.

Sylvia exhales again, she straightens up and looks at the trucks that were starting to park around on the street in front of the store.

-“Go with her…make sure she is okay…”

-“Yeah…guess I should…” Says Linn.

Not long after Sylvia hears the both of them throw up from all the way behind the store.

She sighs once more and looks up at the sky.

Just then Mary comes out of the store as well.

-“What happened? Where are Linn and Fedora?”

-“Food poisoning.”

Mary shrugs.

-“They should have thought twice.”

The quadcopter arrives as well, a very large transport aerial vehicle with 4 large blade arrays.

The soldiers get to work and they quickly transport all of the supply boxes into the back of the quadcopter.

-“Thank you.”

Says Sylvia to the general sent to manage the soldiers.

-“Pleasure is all ours Ergal Rose.” He says as he bows and walks back into one of the trucks.

Their motorcycles get loaded into one of the larger trucks, and they all leave.

Once the area was clear and the only vehicle remaining was the quadcopter, Sylvia yells after the girls.

-“Fedora! Linn! Come on we have to go, are you feeling better?”

Fedora walks from behind the store into the parking lot, slightly swaying left and right, Linn not so far behind her.

-“FUCK no…I feel like shit…”

Sylvia gently slaps her face and smiles a bit.

-“Was the drink good at least?”

-“FUCK yeah it was…”

Fedora says as she turns around, waiting for Linn to come as well.

-“Come on Linn…we don’t wanna leave you here near this store from hell…”

-“Comin…” Says Linn weakly as she looks even worse than Fedora.

Mary walks up to them with two large buckets, smiling.

-“Here! You’ll need them!”

Fedora snatches the bucket from Mary’s hand and walks towards the ramp of the quadcopter.

-“Oh fuck off…”

Linn takes the other bucket from Mary’s hand, giving her a weak smile.

-“Thanks Mary…”

-“No problem!”

They all board onto the quadcopter, Sylvia alone in the cockpit while Fedora, Linn and Mary remain in the back next to the supplies, the side doors of the quadcopter remaining open so they can better see the terrain and defend from any enemies.

They all strap into their seatbelts, Fedora in her chair and the rest on the cold floor in the back.

-“Sylvia you better fly nicely or I swe-“

Just before she can finish her sentence, Sylvia takes off doing a sharp turn, the sudden movement hitting Fedora like a train, her head dropping straight into the bucket.

Mary starts laughing at Fedora when she saw her in such a state.

Fedora lifts up her head and looks at Mary with a look of pure disgust.

-“I hope you fall out of this tin can you little satan…”

Mary laughs again and she turns her gaze onto the terrain below them.

-“I wasn’t the one who made you drink that soda!”

Sylvia takes another sharp turn to adjust their course, and Fedora’s head drops into the bucket again.

She glances over at Linn quickly, she was in the exact same situation as her.