"Are we there yet?" Daniel whined, but his eyes moved from one place to the next. One zombie came too close, and Daniel tensed up, holding the crossbow tight to his chest. Then he relaxed as it stumbled by. "They're not as many of them as before, but still, I don't like being out in the open."

"The Thing is, we have to go around the collapsed building first before even thinking about reaching the base," Katy stated. She was fiddling with the radio, playing with the buttons. She tried to contact the Base where everyone else from their group was, but she had no luck. "But I agree that we must find cover for the night."

"Thank God, I was about to sleep on my feet," Daniel groaned. "And I don't want to cross that bridge."

In the distance, a broken-down bridge lay in their path, but crossing it would make the group vulnerable to an ambush.

Katy nodded. "Agreed, it's way too open. It might be best to see if there's another way around." She turned her head to the side. "Heather, what do you think?" When no one answered, she turned entirely around. "Heather, did you hear me? What are you doing?"

Heather floated with her rifle by her side. She shrugged, "What? I hate walking."

Katy sighed. "I don't feel like dealing with all that."

"And yes, if it were me, it'd be a perfect place to set up an ambush," Heather stated. Both Katy and Daniel stared at Heather silently. Heather tilted her head. "What?"

They both looked at each other as Daniel quickly spoke up. "Nothing." He paused. "Um, I'm just wondering if you can fly to the base and get some help."

Heather tilted her head to the other side. "And leave you here?"

"Then…"

"I'm not carrying two people with my telekinesis." Heather interrupted Daniel, lifting her rifle slightly above her head, and cocked it. "It's a sure way of being a huge target."

Daniel's eyes didn't leave the rifle, and he swallowed. "Fair point."

Katy rolled her eyes. "Come on, guys, stop that. We need to clear out a building before…."

Suddenly, the walkie went staticey. "Sector…cleared. Going to sector…."

Katy stared at the radio. "Wait! That's not…."

"Vibrations." Heather's eyes widened. "The ground is vibrating."

Before everyone could react, Heather pushed them into a nearby building.

"Get down," Heather whispered.

They hid just as trucks passed by and stopped at the bridge. Guards like the ones from before got out with rifles. They spread out like they were searching for something. Plus, one of them looked all too familiar. Conner Tanners.

Daniel was about to say something, but Katy gestured for them to go deeper into the building.

When they finally reached a safe distance. Daniel whispered, "That's Conner, right? Why is he so chummy with those guys?"

"Oh," Heather said with a flat tone. "I saw Conner gunning down Tessa earlier. So it's not surprising to see him with them."

Katy gave Heather a long stare. "Why am I just hearing this now?"

Heather just stared back.

"Never mind." Katy sighed. "They seemed to be searching for something. Tessa, right?"

"If they're with Conner…  that makes sense," Heather confirmed.

"Can you do anything with your Lumeye skills?" Daniel asked.

If it was the other me, maybe, but with only my sniper skills and a little bit of telekinesis... Heath shook her head. "There are just too many of them."

Daniel looks scared. "How are we getting out of this?"

"I don't know," Katy replied, startled as a shot rang out and a Zombie screeched. Katy grabbed her walkie, switching channels. "But we need to contact Base. Now."

***

"We got to get out of here," Wallace stated, glancing at Tessa; she was still sleeping soundly. "Tessa's seemed well enough to travel, and I haven't been a zombie in ages. So why are we sitting around?'

Captain Bard sat here tapping his fingers, not saying a thing. And Terran kept on cooking in the background. He was making something light, such as veggie and cabbage soup with biscuits stuffed with sandwich fixings.

"I know. we're supposed to wait for everyone, but Tessa needs a real doctor." Wallace turned to Terran. "No offence, Terren."

"None, taken," Terran replied as he kept on stirring.

"I…"

The Captain stopped drumming his fingers. It was abrupt enough that Wallace jumped. "How long have you known Mr. Tanners?"

"Sir, What does that have to do…."

"Answer the question," Captain Bard commanded.

Wallace remained silent for a moment before relented. "He transferred four, five years ago."

"Four, five years, huh," the Captain mused thoughtfully.

"Both Wallace and Conner have a similar fighting style." Terran piped up as he placed the food on the table, giving the Captain a meaningful look. "Like Shadow."

"Really." The Captain slowly said, eyeing Wallace. "Have you and Mr. Tanners trained together?"

"No! I don't know about Conner." Wallace glanced at Tessa. "But Mr. Castie… um… Tessa's father hired someone to train me."

"The Shadowhawks," Captain Bard confirmed.

"Yes, Sir," Wallace stated, then realization filled his eyes. "You're not saying that I'll betray the Castie family. On the contrary, my family has been loyal…."

The Captain waved dismissal. "No, the Shadowhawks are mercenaries. They'll do anything for their clients for the right price—even planting someone at a school for years." The older man looked concerned. And that's what I'm afraid of."

"What are you talking about," Wallace asked, but when Captain Bard gave the boy a stern look. "Um, Sir."

"But what convinced me." The older man placed down a walkie-talkie from the Coms room. "Setting up a stable Comms network takes time, years." He paused. "Someone who has a lot of money." The Captain grabbed a biscuit and took a bite. "The funny thing is, I was here six months earlier. No sign of people or the zombies, hell, not even that Protector. And sure as hell would have noticed something that big. So they must have been lying low for quite a while. Until now, that is."

"Deakin," a weak voice coughed out. Father has a rivalry with him. It got so bad that Father sent me out of the City—to Compound 8."

"Tessa!" The boys cried out at the same time and rushed over.

"Are you okay?" Implored Wallace.

"Are you feeling discomfort or pain anymore?" Terran inquired as he checked her eyes. He was relieved Tessa waking up was a good sign.

"Stand back," Captain Bard ordered. Now!" he addressed Tessa. "Deakin Pharmaceuticals, correct? Well, that explains the money part."

"Yes, it's my fault if I just stayed on the Compound like I was supposed to," Tessa said, looking defeated. "I don't know why I pushed to come on this Trial. I should have known better."

Terran paused. Something in her voice didn't sound right, and the look in her eyes…

However, Spike, with Sil on his back, came shuffling in. Both bellies were growling. "Here, guys, we've got food ready for you." Terran smiled and gave them both food to eat. They seemed very satisfied with Terran's offerings.

"What about that hawk." Wallace inquired.

"Falcon." Everyone said automatically.

"Never mind, I mean, he can fly, right? So why don't we use him to get help?" Wallace inquired.

"Can't," Terran stated. He reached out to Sil, but the falcon shied away. "Please, Sil, can you show them?" He opened his wings reluctantly, showing his feathers were broken and matted with dried silver blood. "See, Sil's flight feathers are damaged. If he could fly, he would have done so already."

"To get help?"

 "No, to Lilia," Terran denied. Unconsciously, he drummed a little with some spoons, and Tessa hummed.

"Besides, it won't work," Captain Bard interrupted as he reached for the handheld. Even if the river isn't flooded, we're just as trapped."

"What do you mean? Um, Sir."

"Have you ever heard of a lobster trap?" Confused faces started back, and Bard continued. It is an energy shield that traps anyone who steps inside. The military developed it to trap Protectors." His eyes went dark. "It turns out that it traps everything but the Protector."

"No way that's…."

Impossible, Mr. Francis." The Captain interrupted Wallace. I wish it were true. As we were running from the Protector, I felt resistance. I brushed it off that it must have been the wind, but…." He sighed. But when I saw webbing in the sky…."

Terran straightened, still drumming lightly. "You mean that shimmering thing? I thought it was a trick of the light. And the Zombies beyond the Ruined City? Could they also be uninfected, as well?"

"Most likely. An oversight on their part," Captain Terrence replied. "I don't like our odds."

"Sorry," Tessa's quiet voice broke through. "because of me…."

"Who would set all this up just to captor a teenage girl? No one. There must be a complicated as fuck plan in the works, and I don't care to find out what it is." The Captain glared at Terran and Tessa. "And stop with the racket already."

Terran flushed as he stopped drumming. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't know what's happening. The Wasteland seemed so…."

"Charged," Tessa finished. "I couldn't help but sing along."

"Exactly." Sil screeched and flapped his wings, and Terran had to catch him before falling to the ground. The only one that would make him this freaked out…. "Lilia, I think she's trying something."

Tessa narrowed her eyes at the mention of Lilia's name.

Captain Bard sat back. "That's all we need, more complications."

Then his walkie began to beep continuously. "Just a moment," the Captain replied, beeping more before switching the channel. "Captian speaking."

"This is Marrows. Sir, thank god we finally got through." Katy's voice came through the speakers.

"Is everyone safe?" The Captian's voice was all business, but Terran could still hear how relieved he was. Terran, too, sighed in relief. Terran knew there was nothing to be worried about, but still…

"Yes, Sir, but we have a problem." Katy's voice was laced with fear. "There is a group of armed guards with trucks coming your way. And they have Conner. It looks like they're searching for something. Most likely, Tessa." There was a pause. "Another truck is coming. What's that?" Then silence.

"Marrows." When there was no reply. "Marrows?"

"Captian, zombies, they're pulling Zombies. And there's a lot of them." Katy paused. "Sir, what are we going to do?"

***

Lilia found herself once again standing in front of the Protector. She couldn't help but curse at that fox and that woman. "Okay, Kick me out. I don't care. "Then she sighed. "This must be a joke, right?" Lilia mumbled. Her hands were trembling. She was exhausted, her body was spent, and it took all her energy just to stand there as the Vulture crept closer. "Playing with me until it strikes."

But that wasn't why her hands were trembling.

Lilia wished she had her flute. At least she could have more control with the flute but with her voice alone…She shuttered.

She could see a room full of people staring at her with blank expressions, waiting for her commands, and feeling that horrifying excitement. "I don't want to lose control. Not again."

However, Lilia knew there was truth to that fox woman's claim. Every movement that the Protector made was like a symphony of pure sound. It felt like a roaring waterfall. It was so overpowering, yet every note was so clear, so precise. It was beautiful.

She lowered her headphones and covered her eyes with her headband. Lilia's fears and doubts mattered; none of that mattered. She needed to live because her life wasn't her own: Bryson, Druid, Shadow, and the twins. "My life belongs to them. And Stella, too." Lilia stared up at the bird. You can't kill me."

Lilia had no choice but to sing.