Through the windshield, the dark dust storm roared toward the APC. Red lightning flashed within the dust wall while shaking the vehicle. The storm was too wide for the vehicle to drive around it.

"Hold on!" Lena shouted.

The dusty wall crashed into the APC like a tsunami. However, the storm didn't flip the vehicle back.

Winds screamed outside while the dust scratched the vehicle's surface. Darkness blinded the windshield, except red lightning struck the ground, leaving exploding sparks past the APC. 

Lena gripped the steering wheel, struggling to keep the transport moving forward. "I can't see!"

"Keep your eyes on the map," Alexia instructed. "You are still on course."

John sat on one seat in the back. "Is this thing lightning-proof?"

Alexia glanced at him. "If five missiles can't blow this thing up, lightning can't either."

"Nobody told me about the vehicles," Copper stated, "but they never drove through a bloody storm."

"Just keep driving, Lena. We should be fine." Alexia padded the zombie's shoulder and approached John. She pulled down the zipper on her radiation suit and slipped out of it. Beneath, she wore an orange jumpsuit and boots. No metal collar was around her neck, which explained how she could use her powers.

"You okay?" John asked.

Alexia stroked her hair while sitting down. "That suit is hot. Shame I can't take my clothes off in here."

Copper pointed his finger at the witch. "You better not! Nudity is a restricted policy here!"

Alexia rolled her eyes. She pulled open her shirt and rubbed the sweat off her chest. “I need a shower.”

John smiled at her cleavage, imagining how hot her breasts would look in wetness. "If there is one at the lab, I wouldn't mind showering with you."

Alexia giggled and zipped her shirt up. "I wish. We might not have time to fool around there."

Copper shook. "So what kind of bloody monster are you?"

Alexia scowled at him. "I am not a monster. I'm a witch."

"Witch, huh? I have never seen one."

"Now you do."

"How did you meet John?"

Alexia sighed. "We met on Mars during a zombie outbreak. I was a courtesan therapist at a pleasant house. When the zombies attacked my clients, I used my powers to escape. I ran into John and Kara on the street while they were being chased. After I saved their life, I joined their squad and escaped with them. In my opinion, fighting monsters is better than giving men blow jobs."

Copper's lens blinked. "Oh! So you are a sex witch."

Alexia cracked her knuckles. "I am a space witch. Born with magic in the cosmos. My powers do whatever I want them to do."

"Then why were you a prostitute?"

Alexia sneered. "I had to make a living somehow. Most people don't trust space witches. We were either hunted or exploited for our powers. My parents left me on Mars before witch hunters killed them. I struggled on the streets before a woman found me and brought me to the pleasant house. Since then, I used my powers to make people happy like a drug."

She turned toward John and smiled. "But now I am happy to be back with my friends."

John smiled back, feeling thankful Alexia could survive on her own.

"We are approaching the lab now!" Lena announced. "And the storm is clearing!"

John got up and followed Alexia into the driver’s compartment. Across the barren valley rose a tall rocky mountain where a five-story tall building stood against the mountain wall. No roads lead straight to the facility. Perhaps the lab wasn't part of the prison settlements. 

"Copper, did you know about that place?" John asked.

Copper raised his arms up. "I had no bloody clue. They told me to watch the prisoners and operate a few controls. Nobody talked about the lab."

"I wonder if the prison facility didn't know either," said Lena.

Alexia beamed her eyes. "Of course they knew. One of them at least. If they didn't, Kara and I wouldn't know about it."

"Whatever secrets they are hiding in there, we are about to find out," said John.

*****

Below the laboratory, the garage door automatically opened as the APC drove through. Lena parked the transport toward the concrete wall and switched the engine off. "We’re here."

John's werewolf form slowly faded away, returning him to his human form. He still couldn’t understand how his effect works. 

Copper picked up his rifle. "I better not run out of bloody ammunition."

Lena picked a small crate out from beneath the seat. "We got some here."

John reflexed his mechanic arms. "I don't need any. My babies never run out."

Alexia loaded a plasma pistol. "I couldn’t find my gear. They must have placed it in a secured warehouse."

"I had no problem finding my arms. Did Kara found her stuff?"

Alexia aimed her pistol with one eye open. "She left with only an electric baton. But I can ensure you, she can rip flesh apart."

Copper turned toward Alexia. "What type of monster is she?"

"She is a vampire."

"Half-vampire," John corrected, "but she is strong enough to rip a man in half."

"Bloody hell….. How is she a half-vampire?" Copper asked. 

"You can ask her yourself." Alexia pulled the lever down near the back door.

The door opened, moving down as John pointed his mini-guns at it. He marched down, aiming around the garage. 

No other vehicles were parked near the APC. Perhaps the scientists evacuated when the outbreak occurred. 

John stared at the left and spotted one buggy near a pile of crates. That should be Kara's ride since it was the only one in the garage before the APC arrived. 

Copper and the girls exited out.

"Is that Kara's car?" Lena asked, staring at the buggy.

"Yes, she took it while I took the monorail," Alexia answered.

"Then let’s go up there and find her," said John.