Page 42 of Beast in the Badlands
Istand at the edge of the clearing, my heart a heavy stone in my chest as I watch Renn’s ship descend. The sleek hull glints against the murky sky, its black silhouette contrasting sharply with the chaos around us. As the landing ramp lowers, a crew of Reapers spills out—tall, imposing figures with their bone-like features and long, stringy hair. They move with purpose, and I can see Renn among them, his expression unreadable as he greets them.
A human woman steps forward from their ranks, her presence magnetic. Something about her exudes authority. I should feel anger or jealousy, but instead, a cold wave of nausea rolls through me at the thought of him leaving.
I can’t bear to watch any longer. The air feels thick as I turn away from them and head back toward the med zone. Each step weighs heavier than the last, the thought of Renn flying away pressing down on my chest like an iron vise. He’s a Reaper again—far removed from this broken world we cling to—and I’m just a fading memory.
“Emry! Emry!” A voice pierces through my thoughts. I turn to see a soldier sprinting toward me—a boy no older than sixteen, eyes wide with panic.
“The Red Maw Syndicate is coming! Hundreds of them! They’re going after the med tent!” His words tumble out in breathless bursts.
Panic surges through me. “What? We need to get everyone out!”
Without waiting for a reply, I take off running beside him. Adrenaline floods my veins as we race back to the med zone, dodging debris and fallen branches along the way. How could they attack us now? Who would do something so heinous?
The ground trembles beneath our feet as we approach the tent—my sanctuary and that of so many others. But it looms in front of us like a fragile bubble about to burst.
“No!” The boy shouts as we reach the clearing where our wounded lie exposed under tattered sheets and broken equipment.
I can’t let them attack! My mind races through scenarios: how many will be hurt? How many won’t survive?
But it all unfolds in slow motion before me. A massive laser cannon appears from behind a nearby ridge—a monstrous thing that seems far too large for this desperate place.
“No! Stop!” I scream at it, reaching out with my hands as if somehow that might halt its destructive power.
Time stretches thin as I witness the cannon charge up with blinding light—a prelude to devastation that seizes my breath in terror.
But it’s too late.
The cannon fires with an ear-splitting boom that reverberates through my bones and echoes in my skull. Everything goes white for an instant before darkness engulfs me.
The explosion sends shockwaves through the air, knocking me off my feet and slamming me into the ground like a rag doll tossed aside by an uncaring hand. Dust fills my lungs; I gasp buthear nothing—only silence ringing in my ears like distant bells tolling doom.
Screams fade into muted whispers around me while chaos erupts just beyond sight—a cacophony of cries mixed with gunfire ringing in what feels like another world altogether.
I struggle to push myself upright, panic clawing at my insides as shadows flit across what remains of our haven—the only home I've fought tooth and nail to protect against all odds.
I sit up, blinking against the haze that clouds my vision. The world around me shifts and blurs, but the sight before me cuts through the fog like a knife. The med tent—our sanctuary—lies in ruins, a twisted mass of metal and debris. A scream rips from my throat, raw and primal, as I scramble to my feet.
“No! NO!”
I stumble forward, heart racing, disorientation pulling at me like quicksand. My hands claw through the wreckage—jagged edges bite into my palms as I dig desperately. The cries of those trapped beneath echo in my mind, their pain seeping into every fiber of my being.
"Kira! KIRA!"
My bloodied fingers claw at the metal, trying to pry it up with brute force.
“Emry!”
Suddenly, two strong arms wrap around me, pulling me back with a force that surprises me. I flail instinctively, swinging at whatever I can reach—the warm skin beneath my fists feels familiar but foreign in this moment.
Renn’s voice breaks through the chaos, grounding me as he sets me down gently. He turns me to face him, his features sharp against the wreckage but his voice fuzzy and muted.
“What…?” I stammer, confusion swirling in my mind as I watch his lips move. Words dance out of reach like fireflies in the dark.
“They… killed them,” I choke out finally. “Renn, they just…”
Slowly, sounds begin to sharpen—gunfire crackles like thunder overhead while screams morph from muffled echoes to piercing cries. But his voice is what cuts through most clearly now.
“It’s too dangerous, Emry,” he insists firmly. “We have to get out of here.”
