That much I’m grateful for. My only other hope is that the gun continues to work long enough to seal the injury completely.

The Gods must be looking down on us. The sealant gun finally flickers and snuffs out only after the wound is completely sealed.

The gush of green blood finally stops.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding in. The alien looks down at his sealed wound, smiling faintly – as though this near-fatal injury had been just a minor inconvenience.

Then, incredibly, hestands.

“No! Wait!” I yell, putting my arm on the top of the alien’s shoulder to try and stop him from getting up. I might as well have been standing in front of a train. The Aurelian shrugs me off like I’m weightless - getting halfway to his feet before he finally falls back down to the ground in a heap.

I dive forward and thankfully catch the green-blood alien’s head in my hands before it can hit the hard ground. I didn’t just use up the last of my sealant gun to treat a gunshot wound, only to have him die of a concussion instead!

The alien had been courageous to try and stand – but he’s lost so much blood it’ll be a few days, or even a week, before he can stand effortlessly again.

Unless, of course, Aurelians heal faster than humans. Once again, I’m so ignorant of their physiology that I can’t even answer that question.

But even as I congratulate myself for saving this Aurelian’s life, a new horror hits me.

We may have survived the Scorp attack – but what happens when the Capital sends reinforcements and finds three of their hated Aurelian enemies here in the city?

I stare down at the passed-out Aurelian. He has a strong jawline, and close-cropped hair. No stubble frames his masculine face. He’s the most attractive man I’ve ever seen, and even while unconscious he makes my heart pound in a way I’d never thought possible.

But I don’t have time to waste with thoughts like that. I need to save the other two kids – Runner and Tyler. Even if it means going out into the battle that waits for me outside.

I swallow hard, nervous about what awaits me.

I feel safe enough in the company of these three aliens, but I know there’s no such safety outside. The huge, half-reptilian Scorp will be roaming the streets, and it’s probably suicide to try what I know I must.

But I stand up, ready to face my fate.