Every shifting shadow unnerves me, a potential threat, an enemy waiting for the kill. Earlier, we were the predators—now we’re prey. We’ve been on the move for an hour, stopping only once for a quick drink. Firestone’s holding up fairly well, though I can hear him cursing under his breath—words I’ve never even heard from Sector soldiers—so I know he’s in a lot of pain. We’re all getting tired. But we have to press on. As far as we can before we collapse—as far away from the soldiers responsible for destroying Waterloo as possible.I glance at the sky, barely visible through the trees. We’ve got insulated, camouflaged tents, and the canopy is dense enough that I don’t think we’ll need to worry about drones tonight. But soldiers are another matter. I don’t think they’ll be following us this far into the Wilds—Sector soldiers aren’t as good in the Wilds as they like to think they are—but I don’t want to take chances.I run alongside Kenzie and Jahnu, as Firestone huffs his way through the trees, until finally he collapses and falls into a heap by the roots of a towering tree.Kenzie and Jahnu are at his side before I can even call to them.
