Felix took a few steps and froze. Ten feet away, a Cave Wolf was growling, its lips peeled back from its teeth.
Bang!
Felix flinched but felt no pain. He opened his eyes to see the Cave Wolf lying on the grass, a fresh bullet wound in the side of its head.
"Felix!" Kip yelled, and he lowered his gun. Nova and Kip ran up to him.
Felix smiled. "Kip, you just saved my life."
"What happened to Fox?" Kip's eyes were wild with panic. "Why are you carrying him?"
Felix let out a deep breath. "He's been shot."
"Shot!" Kip's jaw dropped. "Where?"
"Here." Felix gently lowered Fox to the ground. Kip's eyes darted to the bloody wound on his brother's side. Nova whimpered.
Kip knelt beside Fox. "I'll carry him. I'm stronger and faster than you. He's my brother—it's my duty." He hoisted Fox onto his back. "We need to find a medical truck. Get him to the med-evac boat."
Felix nodded. They ran for ten minutes until they spotted an Intermarium truck with a red cross.
Felix pointed. "Over there is the medical truck!"
The truck was a lifesaver, and it was heading right for them. Hope surged in Felix's chest. But as its front wheel dipped into a rut in the road, an earth-shattering BOOM ripped the air. The vehicle was torn in half, engulfed in a rolling fireball. Chunks of twisted metal rained down on the grass.
Felix's mouth hung open. "What… what the hell was that?"
"A landmine!" Kip screamed, his face contorted with rage. "Those fucking Technates! I'll kill them all!"
"What do we do now?" Felix asked, his voice hollow.
"I don't know." Tears of frustration trickled down Kip's face. "We're miles from the shore. That was our only chance."
"We have to keep moving," Nova said, her voice firm. "Head for the shore where the Intermarium ships are anchored."
"That's miles away!" Kip yelled. "It'll take forever on foot!"
"We have no other choice," she insisted.
"Fine!" Kip snarled. "Let's move!"
After an hour of running, Felix skidded to a halt. "Stop! We can't go that way!"
"Why not?" Kip panted. "It leads to the shore."
"Technate soldiers!"
Just as he spoke, a sniper round cracked the air, splintering the bark of a tree right beside Felix's head.
Kip screamed, "FUCK! Enemy firing!"
Two Intermarium soldiers burst from the tree line—Sgt. Hunter and his comrade—charging toward the two Technate positions.
"Get to cover!" Felix yelled, shoving Kip and Nova toward a large boulder forty feet away.
A shot rang out. The comrade collapsed, a dark stain spreading across his back. Cursing, Sgt. Hunter returned fire, his aim true. One Technate soldier dropped, a bullet hole in the back of his head. As Hunter wheeled on the second soldier, the man fired from the ground. The bullet tore into Sgt. Hunter's neck. He collapsed. The lone surviving Technate soldier slumped against a tree, clutching his shattered leg and gasping for air.
Felix and his friends reached the boulder. At its base, half-hidden by overgrown vines, was a heavy steel door. Kip yanked the handle, and they scrambled inside, Felix slamming it shut behind them. As Nova stumbled against the wall, her shoulder hit a switch, and a single bulb flickered on overhead.
The room was a wine cellar; its shelves lined with hundreds of dusty bottles.
"We're safe here," Felix said, breathing heavily.
Kip gently laid Fox on the concrete floor while Nova slid her backpack under Fox's head as a pillow. Kip placed a hand on his brother's forehead.
He sighed, his anger replaced by dread. "He's burning up. One of us needs to find a real medic."
"I'll go," Felix replied without hesitation.
Kip raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Do you even know where you're going?"
"I'll find someone," Felix said with a confidence he didn't feel. "Just stay here. Keep him safe."
Felix turned and slipped back out the door. He crept toward the spot where the firefight had ended and found the Technate soldier who had killed Hunter. A bullet had shattered his kneecap; his pants were soaked in blood. The man was pale, his face beaded with sweat as he moaned in pain.
Felix's eyes locked onto the soldier's backpack. A red cross pin was fastened to the strap. A medic. He had to have supplies. He had no time to look elsewhere. Fox was dying. Taking a deep breath, he approached the enemy soldier and reached for his pack.
"Get your fucking hands off me! Intermariam Asshole!" The soldier snarled, his face red with fury.
Felix held up his hands, shaking his head. "I'm not here to hurt you."
"Bullshit!" the soldier spat. "You're the enemy!"
"Please," Felix pleaded, his voice cracking. "What do you have? For the pain?"
"Morphine," the soldier rasped, his eyes squeezed shut. "Front pocket of the bag."
Quickly, Felix unzipped the front pocket of the backpack to pull out a capsule of medicine. He helped the soldier sit up and swallow the white pill. A moment later, the tension in the man's body eased, the raw pain receding from his eyes.
"Thank you." He whispered.
"Do you need another?" Felix asked.
"No. One every eight hours."
Felix's eyes widened. "How do you know this?"
"I'm a medic."
Felix nodded. Ignoring the searing pain in his own muscles, he hooked his arms under the soldier's and began dragging him toward the cellar. When he reached the heavy door, he pulled it open and hauled the man inside.
Kip screamed, "What the fuck is wrong with you Felix? Do you've shit for brains? He's a fucking Technation soldier!"
"He's a medic!" Felix yelled back, gently resting the soldier against the wall. "We need his pack!"
"Then why didn't you just take it? Why bring him?"
"Everyone else is dead!" Felix's voice broke. "Sgt. Hunter, his comrade… they're all dead! He was the only one left!"
Nova, ignoring them both, yanked off Felix's backpack. She opened the bag and rummaged through its contents. "Gloves, sanitizer," she said, her voice a low hum of focus. "We need to be clean."
As they pulled on the thin plastic gloves, Nova pressed a digital thermometer to Fox's forehead. It beeped. Her face went pale. "His fever is 40 degrees!"
"Fuck!" Kip rushed to his brother's side.
"What will bring the fever down?" Felix asked the medic.
"Panadol. Acetaminophen," the soldier replied weakly. "Should be a bottle of liquid in there."
"Don't you dare listen to him, Felix!" Kip snapped. "He could be trying to poison Fox!"
"He's a medic, Kip! He knows what he's doing!" Felix yelled.
"He from Technate!"
"Kip, stop!" Nova cut in, holding up a familiar bottle. "Mom used to give this to us for fevers. It's safe."
"How much?" Felix asked the medic.
"One capful. Any more and you'll make him sick."
A tense silence fell over the cellar as they worked. Kip carefully cleaned and bandaged Fox's wound while Felix poured a capful of the liquid and gently pressed it to Fox's lips, tilting his head back to make him swallow.
With Fox tended to, Felix turned his attention back to the medic. He found a suture kit and a pair of scissors. "What's your name?" Felix asked as he carefully cut away the bloody fabric of the man's pants.
"Carter."
Felix cleaned the wound with an antiseptic wipe. Just as he was about to start stitching, Fox screamed from the other side of the room.
"Felix, what the fuck are you doing?" Kip's voice was ice.
"He's hurt," Felix said, not looking up as he threaded the needle. "I have to help him."
"Have you forgotten we're at war with him?" Kip stormed over, his face red with fury. "Whose side are you on?"
Felix finished the last stitch and began wrapping Carter's leg with bandages. He finally looked up at Kip's scowl. "I'm on the side that doesn't leave a man to die."
Felix turned back to his work just as the quiet click of a rifle's safety echoed in the small room. He looked up. Kip was standing over Carter, his rifle leveled at the medic's head.
Felix leaped to his feet, placing himself between Kip and the wounded soldier. "What are you doing?"
"Get out of the way, Felix," Kip growled.
"No! He just helped us save Fox!"
"That doesn't matter," Kip's voice was cold steel. "He's Technate. Harboring him is treason. It's a death sentence for all of us if we're caught."
Tears streamed down Felix's face. "We can't kill him. He's a good person."
"We don't have a choice! If Intermarium command finds out—"
"They won't!" Felix insisted, turning to the terrified medic. "It'll be our secret. Please, don't tell anyone we helped you."
"You have my word," Carter whispered.
Felix spun back to Kip. "See?"
"How can you trust him?" Kip snapped. "He's the enemy!"
"Please, Kip. We have to spare him. He helped us."
After a long, tense moment, Kip grunted and lowered his rifle. The exhaustion in the room was palpable. They slumped against the walls, the adrenaline draining away, leaving only fear and fatigue.
Carter cleared his throat. "You're all in shock. The stress… it will break you." He gestured to his pack. "There's something… it's from Technate. It's called Jacob's Formula. For this," he waved a hand vaguely, indicating the cellar, the war outside. He pointed to a small, rose-shaped glass bottle with no label.
Kip held up a hand. "No way. I don't trust him."
"I'll have some," Nova said quietly, her face drawn. She took the bottle, poured a small amount of the pink, strawberry-scented liquid into her water, and drank.
"Nova, it's not labeled! You don't know what's in it!" Kip protested.
"It tastes… sweet," Nova said, licking her lips. "Like cotton candy. Try it, Kip. At this point, what do we have to lose?"
Reluctantly, Kip allowed Felix to pour some into his bottle. He took a sip. "It's weird."
"Please," Felix pleaded, his voice cracking. "What do you have? For the pain?"
"Morphine," the soldier rasped, his eyes squeezed shut. "Front pocket of the bag."
Felix found the bottle and rushed back. He helped the soldier sit up and swallow the small white pill. A moment later, the tension in the man's body eased, the raw pain receding from his eyes.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"Do you need another?"
"No. One every eight hours."
"How do you know that?" Felix asked.
"I'm a medic."
Felix nodded. Ignoring the searing pain in his own muscles, he hooked his arms under the soldier's and began dragging him toward the cellar. When he reached the heavy door, he pulled it open and hauled the man inside.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Felix?" Kip roared, jumping to his feet. "Have you lost your mind? He's a Technate!"
"He's a medic!" Felix yelled back, gently resting the soldier against the wall. "We need his pack!"
"Then why didn't you just take it? Why bring him?"
"Everyone else is dead!" Felix's voice broke. "Sgt. Hunter, his comrade… they're all dead! He was the only one left!"
Nova, ignoring them both, yanked the backpack open and began rummaging through its contents. "Gloves, sanitizer," she said, her voice a low hum of focus. "We need to be clean."
As they pulled on the thin plastic gloves, Nova pressed a digital thermometer to Fox's forehead. It beeped. Her face went pale. "His fever is 40 degrees!"
"Fuck!" Kip rushed to his brother's side.
"What will bring the fever down?" Felix asked the medic.
"Panadol. Acetaminophen," the soldier replied weakly. "Should be a bottle of liquid in there."
"Don't you dare listen to him, Felix!" Kip snapped. "He could be trying to poison Fox!"
"He's a medic, Kip! He knows what he's doing!"
"He's from Technate!"
Nova stepped between them, holding up the bottle. "Kip, Mom used to give this for us when were kids for our fevers!"
Felix looked to Carter, the medic. "How much do we give him?"
Carter nodded, voice calm. "One. Any more and he'll vomit."
Silence fell as Kip reluctantly backed away. Nova poured the dose; Fox swallowed, eyes fluttering. Kip carefully cleaned and bandaged Fox's wound.
When Fox drifted into semi-consciousness, Felix found a suture kit. He cut away the shredded fabric, exposing Carter's wound. "What's your name?"
"Carter."
"Carter." The medic winced.
Felix dabbed antiseptic. Carter's leg twitched. From the far corner came Fox's low groan
"Felix, what the fuck are you doing?" Kip hissed, voice icy
Felix threaded the needle. "He's hurt—he needs this."
"Have you forgotten we're at war with him?" Kip stormed over, his face red with fury. "Whose side are you on?"
Felix tightened the stitch. "The side that doesn't leave a man to die."
A metallic click made them all freeze. Kip stood, rifle trained on Carter's temple.
Felix lunged forward. "Kip—stop!"
"Move!" Kip barked. "He's the enemy—harbouring him is treason."
Tears streaked Felix's cheeks. "He has given us medical advice to save Fox. He's our ally."
Kip's finger trembled on the trigger. "If command finds out, we're all dead."
Felix glanced at Carter's pale face. "We'll keep it secret. Please—trust me."
Carter whispered, "You have my word."
Kip's rifle lowered by inches. At last, he exhaled. "Fine." He slung the weapon away.
The tension drained out of the room. Carter cleared his throat and produced a small, unlabeled vial. "This is Jacob's Formula—an anti-shock serum. Technate issued it for frontline medics." He passed it to Nova.
"I'll try it," Felix said, pouring a few drops into his wine. He handed it over to Nova. Kip snatched bottle rose-shaped glass bottle from Nova's hands.
"It's not labelled! You don't know what's in it!" Kip protested.
Felix tasted his wine bottle. "Tastes like strawberry. It's safe to drink."
Kip narrowed his eyes at the vial. "I don't trust it."
Nova snatched back her bottle from Kip. "At this point… what do we have to lose?" She drank from her bottle. "Try some Kip."
"I'd rather drink vomit!" Kip's face reddened.
"Trust me. It'll calm your nerves." Carter said smoothly.
Reluctantly, Kip allowed Felix to pour some into his bottle. He sipped the pink liquid. "It tastes weird."
"It's an acquired taste," Carter said with a faint smile.
Kip just shrugged and drank the rest. Felix did the same. They sat in silence, the weight of the day pressing down on them.
"My limbs… feel numb," Felix mumbled, his voice thick.
"It's the alcohol from the wine, not the medicine," Carter replied.
"No…" Felix yawned, his eyelids suddenly feeling like lead. He fought to keep them open, but the darkness was pulling him under. Through the fog, he heard the faint, rhythmic tap of keys. Nova, he thought hazily. Calling for help. Then the darkness took him completely.