FSE

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This Forsaken World

By Mantrid Brizon

Episode Twenty-Two: Nosedive

A breeze rustles the trees, and April turns her sapphire eyes toward the sky. The amber glow of the sun peeks through the branches and the swaying leaves, as the burning orb makes it rounds. They’ve been walking for hours, directly for the land beneath the still hovering spike of vapor. April takes a deep breath, inhaling the smell of nature through her pink, feline nose. A sensation on her back draws her attention. Turning her head, April smiles warmly at Grey, who softly pets the small of her back.

“Want to take a break, sugar?”

“Sure.” April nods.

“Good. I was getting tired.” Augustine remarks.

“I bet; those spindly little legs of yours.” Grey teases.

“I can keep up with you, old man, no problem.” Augustine grins.

“Sugar and spice. How lucky can a guy be?” He chuckles.

Finding a modest clearing not far ahead, a fallen log provides adequate seating for all three. Sitting together, April takes a stainless-steel water bottle from a pouch on her belt, pulled tightly around her hips. Resting his palms atop the log and leaning back, Grey looks toward the sky. Augustine stretches her legs and back, sitting beside her mother.

“I forgot how much work all this walking is.” She remarks with a sigh.

“Me too. I guess we all grew too comfortable in Searchlight.” April replies.

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing.” Grey interjects.

“Isn’t it, little bear? We’re getting weaker, becoming softer.”

“No, we aren’t, sugar.”

“Well, it feels like we are...” April murmurs.

“Life has always been a careful balancing act. We were so focused on survival before, living day to day, so we only worried about that. We needed strong muscles to carry heavy packs and walk for miles upon miles. Now that we have Searchlight, we can exercise our minds and our spirits. It won’t just be a struggle to make it to the next sunrise, to have enough food to eat and water to drink. Now, with Searchlight, we can focus on making life better for us and for the generations after us. Our muscles might grow softer, but only because we don’t need them as much when we have power, running water, plenty of food, and a thriving community. It’s a trade-off.” He explains.

“That makes sense.” April remarks.

“I’d still like to not be so sore.” Augustine retorts.

“Think of it this way; you know life is getting better when exercise is a hobby and not a necessity.”

Left without a reply, Augustine takes a drink of water and looks toward the sky. Her eyes focus on the spike of vapor in the distance, which remains still even as many other clouds brush past it.

“How long will that stay there?” April asks.

“Until we don’t need it anymore.” Augustine answers.

“I hope that’s soon.” April sighs.

Grey moves his hand from the small of her back, sliding it around her slender form. Pulling her in, he grows concerned with the melancholy expression upon her face.

“Are you alright, sugar?”

“Yeah... I’m alright, little bear. Just a little worried.”

“About what, mom?”

“How well do you think Tyson and our men can hold the people together while we’re gone?” April poses.

“As well as they need to, sugar.”

“It’s only been a few hours, mom. How bad can it be?”

Covering his pointy, canine ears, the red fox Voeldahn winces from the volume. With men guarding him, their rifles lowered with the buttstocks against their shoulders, they watch the angry mob who scream at them.

“Why did April leave?!”

“What’re we going to do?!”

“Is she coming back?!”

“What’s the plan?!”

“How are you going to fix this?!”

“What if those swamp freaks come back?!”

The questions bombard him like fists as most of the citizenry of Searchlight demand answers. He isn’t sure how – possibly someone witnessed them leaving – but the people know that April, her lover and her daughter have gone. Though they left in the direction where the attackers came from, most assume it’s only a clever ruse; April is a crafty woman, and none would put it past her to head north, only to flee in another direction when faced with utter defeat. Their fear and uncertainty have pushed them to their limits, and for the past several minutes, they’ve rallied around Tyson and his soldiers.

“What’s your plan?!” A woman loudly demands.

“What’re you going to do?!” A man growls.

“SHUT UP!!!” Tyson yells. “... I’m not going to do a damn thing! April did not run away! She left to find the swamp people’s leader and speak to them about what’s going on! What we need to do is sit here and wait!”

As he speaks to the crowd, he can see the disbelief and uncertainty on their faces. Men and women look to each other and then their children, some of whom are nearly grown and have ideas of their own. A group of teenage boys seem to quietly debate their course of action in the background, subtly undermining Tyson’s rule.

“No one is going to leave! No one is going to do anything! April is going to fix this, so just calm the fuck down!” He continues.

The crowd grows silent, and even the teenagers in the corner cease their conversation. They look to him like deer in headlights, standing like statues before Tyson and his team. He looks the crowd over, his head turning slowly as his eyes scan the frightened and anxious mob. The silence is deafening.

“Well?! Go back to your homes!!!” He shouts, doing his best to sound dominant and commanding.

Slowly dispersing, the mob breaks up, with groups of families returning to their homes and shops, all of which are close to the city center. Once the civilians are far enough away, Tyson turns toward his men.

“That probably won’t be the end of it... I want you to break off, find the other team leaders and let them know.” He begins.

“Let them know what?” A scout inquires.

“That we might have a mob on our hands. That they aren’t to let anyone leave, regardless of where they’re heading. We can’t take the chance that they’ll try to ‘fix’ this themselves, and only make it worse.”

“... Are you sure that’s a good idea, Tye?”

“They’re acting like a mob, and a mob has no brains. They’re running off of fear and adrenaline, and that’s the antithesis of intelligence. April left to fix this; I trust them. We need to have a little faith in the woman who built this tribe from nothing and gave us the best home we’ve ever known... No one leaves, and no one fights. We sit and wait. Got it?!”

His scouts swiftly nod in agreement with him. With a wave of his clawed hand, Tyson sends them away to carry out their orders. Dashing down the streets of Searchlight, in search of the other team leaders who’re posted around their makeshift barricades, Tyson leans back against a lamp post. He rests his head on the decorative, green painted pillar, taking a deep breath through his black, canine nose and slowly exhaling through his mouth. A hand shakes as he finally breaks the facade of strength, struggling with frazzled nerves and his fear of both the mob and of failure. Opening his eyelids, he turns his amber orbs toward the northern horizon.

“Please hurry...” He speaks softly to himself.

Glancing over his shoulder, one of Tyson’s men slows his pace. No one is following, and he’s since separated from the others. Looking toward the direction of the barricade, he pauses. A tension in the pit of his stomach is overwhelming, and soon the scout alters his course. Abandoning his mission, if only for the moment, he makes his way toward an old shop that was once a clothing store. Claimed by his family, he races for the shop, bursting through the front door as though he were being pursued by a terrible monster.

“Mom?! Dad?!” He calls out.

“Son?!”

His parents emerge from the back room, followed by his younger brother and sister. They were not a part of the mob, but he knows from conversing with his family that they’re hesitant to trust April. After witnessing her gun down an innocent woman, they aren’t certain that their leader truly has their best interests at heart. Executing the men under Rodge’s command made some sense, as the dark-skinned human had attempted to murder April’s lover, but to so coldly murder the distraught girlfriend of one of her scouts? Was she proving a point?

The only thing they learned from that incident was that everyone is expendable to April, and with war on the horizon, they fear that she’s abandoned them. Racing from the back room, around the front counter and toward the young man who stands near the front door, the scout darts toward his approaching family, meeting them in the middle of the store. Embracing his parents and siblings, they hold each other for a moment. The scout can feel his teenage brother and sister trembling from their fear, and he can hear the shivering of his mother’s voice as she tells him how glad she is to see him.

“Mom. Dad. We need to talk.” He calmly begins.

“About?”

“About what’s going on. Take Tommy and Sarah in the back.”

“No fair!” Tommy complains.

“We have a right to know, too!” Sarah whines.

“... Fine.” The scout grumbles. “Let’s talk...”

Making their way through the forest, April, Grey and Augustine walk until late in the afternoon. None know how far they need to travel, and the voice hasn’t answered any questions that either Grey or Augustine have had. They only know that they must keep walking, so long as they have the strength. Exiting the forest, they find themselves in a clearing, a field not natural but formed by generations of toiling hands. With herbs and vegetables planted in neat rows, they spot a farmhouse at the far end of the field. April draws her Micro-Uzi on impulse, holding it firmly in her left hand.

Seeing her weapon drawn, Grey reaches out, gently gripping her wrist. April turns her head, looking up at her human lover. He subtly shakes his head, silently urging her to abstain from using the weapon. With a nervous sigh, April concedes, holstering her firearm. Walking in silence through the field, the trio carefully scan their surroundings. Not a soul is around, and the air is strangely still. As the family draw nearer to the farmhouse, they can hear the squawking of many birds. Finding the front door open, they discover that the house is empty. Searching room by room, and always together, they uncover only a cozy homestead without a soul inside.

Entering the antiquated kitchen, they find broken eggs on the wooden floorboards, and signs of a struggle. The back door is broken open, with a boot print just beneath the latch. It’s the distinct size and shape of a male Voeldahn. Scuff marks look remarkably like the scratching of claws as someone was dragged outside by their ankles. Making their way through the house, all three now hold their firearms in-hand, should the assailants be near. Immediately upon exiting the house, April and Grey pause. Following them outside, Augustine stops and gasps as she witnesses a horrific sight. Moving closer to the flock of crows, they caw as they flee from the approaching human.

Abandoning their meal, the women can see in graphic detail the remnants of two corpses. One is a male, who was shot multiple times and purposefully disemboweled, a massive slash across his belly; the crows could never peck such a clean cut through a carcass. The second body is a female, who has very clearly been sexually assaulted, and within arm’s reach of the deceased male. It would appear that whoever is responsible kicked in the door, dragged her outside, and assaulted her beside the body of the male, who is most likely her husband or boyfriend.

“Those poor people.” Augustine whimpers.

“Yeah... I guess he got to them.” Grey remarks.

“You mean?” Augustine hesitates.

“Kane...” April growls. “I fucking knew it... This is all his fault because he lost his boyfriend.”

Realizing the true implications, Augustine, who’d only partially learned of Kane and his vendetta, buries her face in her hands, one of them still holding her purple and black Taurus G2c.

“Hey.” Grey slips an arm around the girl. “This isn’t your fault, alright? You didn’t do any of this.”

“But Kane did... Because I shot Rodge.” Augustine cries.

“You did the right thing, sweetheart. Rodge was going to shoot Grey. He was going to take my little bear away; he was going to steal Grey from you.” April retorts, resting a hand on the girl’s upper back.

“We’re going to put a stop to this. I promise.” Grey adds.

“But we can’t fix it.” Augustine murmurs.

“We aren’t always able too, but this is the next best thing; preventing it from happening again.”

“Come on.” April calls out to them.

Turning away from the bodies, April and Augustine take a few steps away, stopping only when Grey doesn’t follow them. They glance back at him, looking over their shoulders as he stares at the lifeless corpses, their eyes pecked out and their faces mutilated from the feeding frenzy. The human’s hair flutters in a gentle breeze, brushing across his face as he stares down at them with a pensive, even gloomy expression.

“Are you coming, little bear?”

“We should do something.” He replies.

“We are.”

“No, I mean for them.” He explains.

“Like what?” Augustine asks, turning back to face him.

“We should bury them. They don’t deserve to be left out here to feed the birds. It’s wrong.”

“But shouldn’t we keep going? We don’t have the time to waste.” Augustine remarks.

“It’s not a waste. It’s giving them a little dignity. They’re people, and they need to be treated like it.”

Looking back at her lover, April can see the pain in his eyes and his heart. The scenario and his expression unlocks a memory buried deep within the woman. Nearly twenty-three years ago, when she was roughly ten, the first, kind human she’d ever met, Sniper, found an elderly couple, murdered by raiders. Even though he was on a quest to find his own wife and younger sister, he was the only one to suggest the very same thing that Grey is suggesting. Trapper, the sick and twisted man who had done so much to hurt April in her later years, and Reagan, the girl who was supposed to protect her but didn’t, were eager to abandon the corpses, as Augustine is.

April didn’t understand it at the time, as Augustine probably doesn’t understand it now, but the kindness and respect that Grey is offering to the dead is what makes them different from the barbarians like Kane. They are more than mere beasts, as were the two Voeldahn corpses lying at their feet. They should be treated with respect, even if they can no longer feel, not because they would ever appreciate it, but so that Grey, April and Augustine can hold onto some semblance of decency and morality.

“We can spare the time.” Grey speaks softly to the girl.

“Can we? This feels kind of pointless to me.” Augustine retorts.

“No... He’s right. After what they’ve been through, it’s the least we can do for them.” April interjects, stepping closer to Grey. “I’m with you, little bear.”

“Thanks, sugar.” He smiles, enveloping her in a warm embrace. “Let’s find some tools. We can bury them near that tree over there.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Augustine asks, growing concerned.

“It’s the right thing to do, sweetheart.” April retorts.

Searching the home and a nearby shed, they discover several picks and old shovels, which April and Grey use to dig a wide, shallow grave beside a tree. Carefully placing the mutilated bodies into the hole, side by side, Grey poses them as if they were sleeping. Despite their grotesque appearance, he goes so far as to rest their hands over the other in eternal affection. Covering them with dirt, they pile stones of varying sizes on and around the grave, to keep the animals from digging them up. Using the knife of his multi-tool, Grey cuts a very simple sign into the tree, remarking only that a male and female Voeldahn are buried there. Perhaps relatives will know who they are and erect a proper headstone?

With the chore completed, the trio return the tools to the shed, before leaving the home without ever once looting it. The vapor spike hovers in the air, waiting and ready to guide them on their journey. Thankfully, the task only cost them an hour or two, but as the sun creeps closer toward the horizon, and twilight looms overhead, they know they may have a long walk ahead of them still.

“Grey?”

“Yeah?” He looks at Augustine.

“I’m sorry about before. I was just worried that-”

“It’s alright.” He interrupts her. “Thanks for helping us. That goes for you too, sugar. I’m glad you stood by me.”

“I’ll always stand by you, little bear.” April smiles warmly.

“So will I, sugar.” He smiles back.

Slipping his arm around April’s slender waist as they walk side by side, Grey leans in, kissing her cheek and feeling her soft fur upon his lips. With her smile growing wider, April reaches a hand up, resting her clawed fingers gently against his cheek. She nuzzles his face with her snout, turning her eyes away only to watch were they’re walking before returning them to stare into his eyes.

“I uhm... I’m proud of you, Grey.”

“For what?” He raises a brow in confusion.

“For what you did back there. For giving them a proper burial. You reminded me of something that happened a long time ago; something that should’ve happened but didn’t... You showed me who you really are, and I love you even more for it.”

“And I love you too, sugar.” He says, giving her another kiss.

“What about me?!” Augustine interjects.

“I have love enough for two.” He replies, draping an arm over her shoulders. “You’re the daughter I never knew I always wanted.”

“... What?” She cocks her head in confusion.

“Exactly.” He chuckles, ruffling her hair.

They walk throughout the evening and the twilight, taking only minimal breaks in between. Using their freshly charged, salvaged batteries, they illuminate their way with powerful, compact flashlights, following the spike of vapor that now seems to glow like a neon sign, still remaining stationary in the sky.

“Man, this is taking a long time.” Grey says through a yawn.

“I know. I’m starting to get really tired.” April remarks.

“Do you think we should stop for the night?” Augustine asks.

“I don’t know.” Grey shrugs.

“If we were going to make camp, it would’ve been smarter to build it hours ago.” April interjects.

“Well, how much longer do you think we have to go?” The young girl poses.

“Hold it!” A man’s voice yells.

Popping out from behind a tree, an unkempt feline Voeldahn with dirty, orange tabby fur and a powerful, lever-action rifle takes aim. His amber eyes scan the trio as he takes a step back, visibly startled by their sudden appearance.

“Get that light outta my eyes, ‘fore I blast y’all to hell!” He growls.

“Sorry!”

Augustine turns her flashlight toward his feet, while April and Grey point theirs skyward.

“Better... Now, y’all bes’ not move a muscle...” The nervous man demands.

“I guess right now.” Grey quips, raising his hands in surrender.

“What’cha doin’ out here! You here ta kill me?!” The man asks.

“No. We’re looking to see Mama Fi.” Grey begins.

“We want to talk peace.” April adds.

“Peace?! Y’all mus’ be jokin’!”

“No joke.” Grey shakes his head. “I’ll prove it.”

The Voeldahn raises a brow, only to tense up as Grey slowly reaches for his pistol with his off-hand. He reminds the man to be calm and to keep his finger off of the trigger as he draws the black and silver Bersa Thunder 9 Pro from the holster on his left hip. He sets the firearm down on the ground before taking a step back. April and Augustine follow suit, reluctantly disarming themselves. The simple man in old coveralls looks unsure of what to do next, his eyes repeatedly switching from the guns on the ground and the three surrendering city dwellers.

“... Y’all really want peace?”

“Yeah.” April nods.

“This is all a huge misunderstanding.” Augustine chimes in.

“We just want to see Mama Fi, and talk to her.”

“... Well... Alright... But I gots my eyes on you!” The man declares.

Motioning for them to move back a little more, he approaches the firearms and squats down, struggling to stuff them all into his coverall pockets.

“Try not to scratch the finish on my Uzi. I love that gun.” April remarks.

“Yeah, alright.” He replies.

Walking around them, the man takes aim at their backs. With a single word, he instructs them to walk, following behind them as they head through the woods. To their surprise, they were only a few hundred yards away from a clearing, containing the remnants of an old trailer park, nestled deep in the forest. Other denizens of Mama Fi’s Coalition emerge from their homes upon seeing the electric glow of their flashlights, something most have never seen in their lives. The trio can hear the quiet gossiping as the lone man is soon joined by several others, eager to present their trophies to their elderly matriarch.

“How’d y’all know where to go, anyways?” The man suddenly asks.

“Oh, just a lucky guess.” Augustine quips.

“That’s some real good luck, then.” Another man remarks.

Mama Fi opens her tired eyes, hearing a loud thumping throughout her house. She slowly pushes herself up in bed, yawning as a lantern wielding Buck barges in.

“Mama! Mama!”

“What is it, Buck? Is Marcy havin’ those fits again?”

“No, Mama! We gots visitors! They’s from Searchlight, Mama!”

“What?!”

Rising from her old mattress in her rickety trailer, Mama Fi wears only her nightgown. She slips her pawlike feet into hand stitched, moccasinesque slippers, reaching out and taking hold of her cane. Her clawed fingers grasp the solid silver, human skull handle, her arm shaking slightly as she struggles to rise from the bed. Buck races to her side, sliding an arm around hers and gently lifting her up.

“Let me help ya, Mama!”

“Yer a good boy, Buck. That’s why yer my favorite grandson.”

“I’m yer only grandson, Mama.” He replies.

“I know.” She grins.

Walking slowly but steadily from her bedroom, Mama Fi is surprised to find several of her people near the door, holding three strangers at gunpoint. Mama Fi recognizes the beautiful April immediately, and quickly deduces that Augustine, who looks nearly identical to her, except for her age and size, must be April’s daughter. Mama Fi’s eyes narrow with mistrust at the mere sight of the human, her bushy tail limp and showing her displeasure as she shuffles her way into the living room.

“Well, well, April. I never thought I’d be seeing y’all in my own livin’ room. Who’s this pretty little thing?” She asks, slowly taking a seat in her favorite chair.

“This is my daughter, Augustine, and this is my man, Irvine.”

“Everyone just calls me Grey.”

“Huh... An interracial couple... Certainly not the first I’ve seen, but awful rare these days... Please, have a seat!”

Mama Fi extends a hand, waving it across a nearby couch, placed across from her. Her minions look quite surprised as the trio take their places on the old couch. April claims the side closest to the door, grabbing Grey’s forearm and directing him to sit beside her, while Augustine takes the far end, leaving the human between the two women of his life.

“So... What brings y’all way out here, to my humble home?”

“They’s sayin’ they wants ta talk!” The orange tabby chirps.

“I’m askin’ them, boy!” Mama Fi growls.

The man lowers his head, apologizing in a voice so subdued, it’s barely even a whisper. Why do they look so afraid of the elderly woman? Is it her strong and healthy grandson who stands just behind her, a shotgun slung over a shoulder, or is it something else?

“We’re here to talk peace, Mama Fi.” April begins.

“This was all a big misunderstanding.” Grey adds.

“We don’t want a war.” Augustine interjects.

“We’d like to resolve this peacefully, before it gets any worse.” April continues.

“A pleasant thought, but I fear that we might be a tad late for that. Some of my peoples already acted on their own...”

The little family look to each other as they sit together on the couch, barely surprised as Mama Fi confirms that the attack on Searchlight wasn’t sanctioned.

“This was never supposed to happen, Mama Fi. This all started when one of my people went rogue after his boyfriend died.” April explains.

“He tried to kill my dad, so I shot him.” Augustine interjects.

Grey can’t help but smile as Augustine claims him as her father, touched by the emotion in her voice as she relives the fear of his potential loss. He drapes an arm over her, giving her a hug.

“Well, I can understand that! I’d’a killed anyone tryin’ ta take my pa away too!” Mama Fi replies.

“But Kane didn’t see it that way. He took off. I sent my people out to track him down, but he was too fast and slipped away before we ever found him. Days later, some of your people attacked us. I can only assume Kane killed somebody and made it look like we were responsible.” April continues.

Mama Fi’s men look stunned and ashamed. Some of them had participated in the rogue assault, while others obeyed Mama Fi and tried to stop their kin from escalating the violence. With their weapons lowering, they look to each other.

“I had my suspicions. This ‘Kane’, he killed two parents and orphaned their young sons...” The elder matriarch begins.

“Oh, god...” Grey sighs, closing his eyes.

“Then, he massacred another family, raped their teenage daughter and let her live, but not ‘fore givin’ her a warning. I knew somethin’ didn’t feel right when she told us her story, ‘bout one man killing her kin and doin’ her wrong. The crowd was listenin’, though... They weren’t havin’ none of it.”

“So, what can we do to fix this?” April asks.

“I don’t rightly know...” Mama Fi admits. “A lot of my peoples aren’t even here for us to share this news with.”

Sitting in silence, Mama Fi and April stare at each other, both unsure of what to say or do next. Suddenly and in unison, Augustine and Grey turn their eyes toward the old, discolored ceiling. Mama Fi looks toward them, wondering what they’re looking at. She turns her eyes toward the ceiling as well, but sees only the thin veneer of fake wood that covers the paneling.

“What if... We hunt down Kane and bring him back to prove it?” Grey suggests.

“A nice idea, if’n it weren’t for the fact that most of my peoples won’t learn about it when you bring him back.”

“That’s alright! We can bring him to all of your people!” Augustine chirps.

“Where? And how?! By the time y’all get back with this ‘Kane’, who’s ta say what’ll be goin’ on.” Mama Fi asks.

“Let us worry about that.” Grey replies with a confident smile.

Mama Fi is floored. The human and his Voeldahn daughter sound so sure of themselves. She raises a brow, shifting her cold eyes toward April. April turns her head away from her lover and daughter, an equally surprised look on her face. As soon as she realizes that Mama Fi is watching her, however, she too exudes confidence in their abilities.

“What have you got to lose?” She poses.

“A whole lot... But there prolly ain’t no other way to make ‘em calm down and see reason... If’n ya think y’all can capture this ‘Kane’ and bring him here as proof, I can get Virginia ta identify him and we can set this straight... Buck!”

“Yeah, Mama?!”

“Give ‘em their weapons back, then take some a yer boys and join ‘em.”

“Yes, Mama!”

“Thank you, Mama Fi.” The trio reply.

“And Augustine can stay here with me.”

“... Excuse me?!” April growls.

“Them woods ain’t no place for a little lady like her. I’ll keep her real safe and sound for ya.”

Mama Fi’s lips curl into a sinister grin, her eyes narrowing. Though she doesn’t say it, everyone in the room realize what she’s doing, even Augustine. The twelve-year-old girl will be collateral, should they fail in their quest, or prove to be lying. April’s hand rests on her empty holster, briefly wishing that she still had the weapon, so that she could punish the old Voeldahn woman for her cunning yet cruel move. With the black claws of her fingers tapping the custom stitched leather, April takes a deep breath through her pink, feline nose, her nostrils flaring subtly as she exhales.

“Mom?”

“Yeah, sweetheart?” April asks, still staring down Mama Fi.

“Mom...” Augustine says with more force.

April turns her head away, seeing Augustine as she looks past Grey. Her daughter’s eyes and brow are soft and comforting.

“It’ll all be okay, mom. I’ll stay here.” Augustine assures her.

“We’ll have a right swell time. I got lots of board games, and no one smart enough to beat me, ‘sept for my Buck.” Mama Fi remarks.

“Fine...” April grumbles. “Watch my daughter like she was your own... I don’t want any more... Misunderstandings.” April says, glaring at Mama Fi.

“Don’t’cha worry yer pretty little head, dear. You two go get some rest. I gots a guest house y’all can use. Ya can make the journey when ya ain’t so tired.”

With a wave of her frail looking hand, Mama Fi instructs Buck and her men to escort April and Grey from the home, keeping Augustine with her as a bargaining chip. The worry on both April and Grey’s face is as plain as day, and some of Mama Fi’s men look uncomfortable with her decision. However, none dare question her orders; they lead the human and the white tigress Voeldahn away, moving them to an unused shack of a house next door. Buck stays close, keeping an eye on the spry, young girl. Meanwhile, back in Searchlight, Tyson walks the streets. He’s surprised to find them not only eerily quiet, but downright void. Looking into a few storefront windows, he can’t see any citizens. Are they all hiding?

“Tye! Tye!” A voice catches his attention.

Turning back, Tyson is surprised to see a lone scout sprinting toward him. It’s as though he’s being chased by a terrible monstrosity, and Tyson is the only one who could possibly save him.

“Tye!” The scout shouts, waving frantically to him.

“What’s going on?! Are you alright?!”

“We’ve got a problem, Tye!”

The man stands before him and pauses, leaning over and resting his palms against his knees as he pants for breath.

“What’s wrong?! ... Don’t keep me in suspense, damnit!” Tyson growls.

“We... Have a... Problem...” The man speaks through labored breaths. “A group... Took off... To fight... The swamp people...”

“WHAT?! WHEN?!”

“Just now... They raided... The armory and... Left with... Some scouts... Heading for... That other town... A couple days away... Where we first saw... The swampies.”

Tyson rests his hands on the sides of his head, his eyes popping out of their sockets from the horror.

“This can’t be fucking happening... There’s no way... This is all just a bad dream...” He speaks to himself. “... How many left?”

“Half of the scouts, and nearly every civilian.”

“Jesus Christ, people! What the hell are they thinking?!”

“What do you want the rest of us to do?”

“... Get everyone who’s still left, scouts and citizens, give them supplies and weapons, and tell them that we’re going, too.” Tyson orders his underling.

“We’re fighting with them?” The scout nervously asks.

“I hope not... I’ll try to get them to stand down, but... I just don’t know... We’ve got to do something... ... Well?! Let’s get going!”

“Right!” The scout nods.

Both men dart down the road, hurrying to gather what’s left of Searchlight’s inhabitants, to catch up to the rogue mob.