My blades slice, plunge, and shred, maiming and killing everything around me. The demons surround me and I step further away from the barrier, clear of the squad’s sight. The horde is my cover and I don't hold back the speed of my strikes. Fletcher can see me from his perch. But the whiz of arrows passing overhead tells me he’s too occupied.
“Luce!” Cole roars through the comm and I stagger in pain from my over sensitive hearing.
I yank the comm out of my ear and it's lost on the ground. I won’t be able to speak to the others, but I need my senses more right now. The demon's have thinned around me. I back up to the clearing. Maneuvering over the carcasses scattered at my feet with my swords outstretched before me. The horde follows but is slow, hesitant.
I pass through the glowing green barrier and catch a high pitch hum straight ahead. Past the rows of demons following my retreat. It must be the Rex, the objective of our mission, is here. I think about all the drills we’ve done. The simulated live combat formations set up to herd the demons. To push them into a small area before we attack. The Rex has been herding us since we passed the wall. And we're right where it wants us.
“I can’t stop the bleeding.” Cole’s anxiety is clear over the thuds, splatters, and crackle of warrior weapons tearing into demon flesh.
Leaving my post open to attack, I race over to Iva’s side while the barrier still holds. “Go to Luce.”
He runs pulling his med kit out. Iva's the one that studied with Dr. Quinn. He's the one that can seal wounds and keep us upright.
“Spread formation.” The captain orders. “Cole, get into position.”
Cole moves up to take Iva’s spot, drawing his double-sided ax from his shoulder. I cross our perimeter, back to my position, ready to find the Rex. The air shifts, making the hair on my arms stand up.
“Cole watch . . .” Before I can finish, a Flick teleports right in front of him.
Addy lunges for it, her twin crossbows firing as she sails between the barrier and Cole. The neon green of the barrier dims. It’s giving out and there’ll be no protection for her. There’s still time. I can take it out. But I don’t move. I’d have to use my abilities to cross the clearing. Frozen, I watch the barrier fizzle out.
“Addy, no!” Fletcher screams as two arrows fire in rapid succession to the Flick. It blinks in and out and the arrows pass right through.
Addy dives into a roll. But the quick slash of claws from the Flick penetrates the weak barrier, sinking into her. She slides across the dirt face first, unmoving. I froze and Addy is . . .
“Tighten up.” Kane barks.
The squad backs away from the barrier. The traps beep in unison with a power outage warning. Fletcher jumps down from his perch and races to Addy. The side of her uniform is soaked. Dark red pools the dirt beneath her from her ribs down to her hip. Her ragged breaths are uneven and quiet.
“Fletcher, bring her here.” Iva has Luce propped against the pile of our gear, still unconscious.
A white bandage covers her head. Strips of fiery red hair are visible through the gaps. The chuffing of the demons press in. The sparks against the failing barrier cause my powers to surge. The high-pitch hum of the Rex is closer. I spin in place to follow as it circles our formation but it stays hidden.
Then the horde stops attacking the barrier. Their drooling, gaping jaws and clawed appendages scrape the ground to get to us. But they hold still instead of advancing. They’re waiting for the barrier to go down.
“Fletcher back in formation.” Kane grips his shoulder and pulls him up on shaky legs.
His attention on his twin who's laid out, bleeding. I'm hollowed seeing her tiny, pale frame motionless. The bright spirit is dull. I could’ve stopped it. I could’ve done something. But I kept my secret. I chose me over her and searing rage festers inside me.
Fletcher's watery eyes raise to assess our situation. He takes his position next to me. The captain is on my other side as Kane and Cole cover our backs. Fletcher snaps out his compound bow, and it transforms into a war glaive. The middle grip gleams between his fingers as the white ethereal energy forms sharp curved blades on each end.
I give my swords a spin and spot the Flick that got Addy. It licks her dripping blood from its talons. Fletcher's hard, quiet fury radiates as the Flick blinks around in front of us. The green glow of the barrier gives one last spark and disappears.
With a high-pitch wail, the demons charge. My blades are nothing but streaks of white light spinning around me. They leave gore, limbs, and streams of black ichor in their wake.
The Rex wails again and it's unbearable. I try to dull my hearing. But my power is out of control, flowing wild through every part of me. Fletcher grunts and the smell of blood hits the air. I can’t find him through the horde surrounding me. His weapon hasn’t stopped slicing, there’s nothing else we can do.
My head throbs as the high frequency of the Rex increases. I lose my balance for a second, giving a Flick the chance to nick my back. It’s barely a graze but the pain in my head has me doubled over.
“Captain!” Iva sounds far away. “Kane’s hit.”
“Back to center.” The captain uses her whip to keep the demons back, giving herself a broad area to work with. She keeps the circular motion of her whip in front of her as she backs away to our center.
I stumble into Fletcher. He’s bleeding from his shoulder but still spins his glaive in front of him in a backward retreat. I can't catch my breath as I try to stay upright. The agonizing pain in my head turns nauseous. I stagger to the other side, to the captain and the clearing she created. She gives me a questioning look before running her eyes over me to check for injury. A Flick demon materializes behind her and grabs her arm to stop her whip.
My sight is bleary from the pain but I lunge for demon. I'm too late. Just a split second of me distracting her and the Flick drags the captain off, into the horde.
