"East end perimeter secure.” Kane’s report is garbled with the fog bank interference.

“Holden. Stand down.” The captain backs up into me.

I grip her shoulder and pull her backwards. 

“West end, repor…” Buckler’s command cuts short.

My warrior marks glow blue, begging me to withdraw my weapons. Holden advances on us in a prowl. I know that vacant unseeing glare. 

“Oren, do not engage.” The captain snaps her whip at her side, but Holden's attention is fixed on me.

“Negative, we have a breach. Perimeter incomplete.” Cole’s response is swallowed by distant warrior screams and the charging roar of demons. 

Holden’s eyes flood green when the atmosphere invades the distance between us.   

“Move!” The captain grabs my wrist and drags me away, toward the horde. 

“You can’t engage. He’s not himself. And we have to find Fletcher, he has no coverage.” She lets me go and lashes the area in front of us. “My visibility is reduced to a few feet, are we clear?”

I scan the fog and order my brain to put away what I just saw. Holden really is taking the serum. I search behind us, expecting the glint of his broad sword. Flick demons teleport in and make quick work of the guards where he used to be. The horde has moved further down the wall, past Holden’s squad, to the gap in the barrier traps. Where Fletcher was setting up. 

“We're clear. But the guard should fall back to the wall. I’ll secure the last section and find Fletcher.”

“Fletcher, report.” The captain commands. 

Silence.

I summon my blades. “Order the retreat and get behind the barrier.” Is all I can manage before I race to Fletcher’s last location.

“Oren, wait.” Her voice fades into an echo as I blur into the demons.

I slice and hack my way in. My powers lead me through the masses to the clank of metal and wet stabs. Fletcher is holding his own with three ragged gate guards. They’re surrounded and fading fast.

I stumble to a stop a safe distance from their sight and fight to keep my arms from glowing. I breathe deep and choke on the toxic air.

“Fletcher. Fall back.” But he can’t hear me over the battle.

 I slash through a few more demons and close in. 

“Shit. Thank God you’re here.” Fletcher’s spear spins and stabs. 

“Back to the wall, warriors.” I take point and Fletcher falls back with the guards to cut a path for our retreat. 

We’re moving too slow. As soon as they forge a gap, more demons file in to surround us. We’re isolated, adrift in this consuming fog and might as well be a million miles away from the wall.

“I can’t see.” One of the guards pants.

“Oren. Tell me we’re headed in the right direction.” Fletcher says.

“Oren? That’s…he’s…an Oren?” The warriors murmur. 

I turn back to their eyes wide on me instead of the fight. They back away from us, into the demons, and are swallowed by the fog. 

“Oren, incoming!” Fletcher lunges his spear in front of me and pierces the chest of a Flick demon. “Holy shit! Did you see that? I am awesome!”

“Fletcher, come in.” Iva crackles through the comm. 

“Go ahead.” Fletcher responds.

“You idiot. You answer when we call.” Addy cuts through, her voice is thin and waivers.

“I’m good, Ads. I’ll never leave my belly bud…. Uh, Oren? Please tell me you see that.” Fletcher wipes his goggles with his uniform sleeve.

I follow his line of sight. A neon green streak races right for us.

“The guard has fallen back with the other Elite Squads and we’re locked on your position.” Iva says.

“What is that?” Cole breaks through the haze with Iva and Luce behind him. 

Whatever it is moves in a zigzag pattern streaking through the gray atmosphere. My eyes flare bright and I check our surroundings. The other warriors are against the wall. With the Elite Squads, they easily hold back the demons trying to squeeze through the gap in the barrier. 

The traps Fletcher abandoned are a few feet away. And I’m clear to engage in this cover. I need to find out what new demon is coming our way.

“The last section of traps are on our six. I’m going in.” I nod to the green streak as the captain and Kane join us.

“I’ll fallback with my squad.” Cole glances at Luce before leaving.

“Iva and Addy set the traps. We’ll cover. And Oren, you only have a few minutes. I want you behind this barrier when we complete the circuit.” The captain hasn’t taken her eyes off the green glow steadily approaching. 

Her lower lip trembles with an exhale and I squeeze my hilts instead of moving to her side. 

“Yes, captain.” I blur ahead and flank the incoming demon. 

I don’t have time to attack but I want a closer look. But every time I move to avoid a head on collision it shifts with me. It’s locked onto me and keeping me in its sights. We play tag through the soupy air and it’s closing in.

“Oren. Fallback.” The captain orders.

Time is up. My center aches and strains to engage. A tight pulling sensation drags me forward instead of back to the squad.

“No.” I grit through clenched teeth and envision racing to the barrier. 

But it’s not working. The green streak gets closer. I'm an easy target frozen in my internal fight.

“Rain. Come back.” The captain’s soft plea melts the strangle hold in my chests and I don’t waste the disruption. 

I blur back to the barrier. 

“I'm approaching now.” I say when the silhouettes of the squad come into view.

The force of something slamming into my back knocks the wind out of me. I’m launched off my feet and collide into Fletcher’s front, sending us both crashing to the ground. I can’t inhale and he's gasping underneath me. The roar of my power surging makes my vision go blue.

A white hot poker pierces through my back and out of my front. The scrape of metal against the outside of my ribs forces an inhale. I'm skewered through my side. I can't tell if anything vital is damaged with my energy rushing in. I'm stiff and not sure if I should even breathe. A warm, numb wave takes over. There's a rough tugging sensation when the metal withdrawals. I'm not in pain, but I can't move. All capacity for movement is gone with the energy flooding my wound.

Blood roars through my ears. In the distance metal clangs against metal. Shouts, grunts, and pounding boots fill in the rest. A gurgled sucking sound is close, coming from underneath me.

“Careful. He could ignite." Iva’s floppy hair comes into focus.

“His whole side is glowing.” Addy’s small hand touches my cheek. “He’s not burning me. Is it ok to move him?”

"Yeah, he’s healing faster now.” Iva grunts with effort.

I’m gently rolled to my back and my head flops to the side. A sharp rock digs into my temple. 

“Fletcher! No, no, no, no.” Addy’s heart pounds next to me and I'm powerless to help her. 

“Shit. I think his lung collapsed. He's losing too much blood.” Iva unzips his med bag with his teeth. 

I strain to see around them. Iva uses one hand to throw medical supplies to the rocky ground and the other sinks into the ragged bloody pool in Fletcher's chest.