The infected human charged before Kel had fully turned around.
Kel waited until it was close enough to reach him, then slipped left. Its arm passed beside his face, missing by inches. Kel planted his lead foot, turned his hips and drove a short right hand into its jaw. The infected stumbled sideways, but Kel didn't wait to see how much damage he'd done.
"Get him up!"
Behind him, the little girl grabbed her father's arm while the injured man tried to force himself onto his feet. His leg buckled almost immediately, and the girl nearly went down with him.
The infected came at Kel again. He raised his guard, caught its arm against his forearm and shoved it aside before snapping a jab into its face. When it continued forward as though it hadn't felt the punch, Kel stepped in and drove his shoulder into its chest, knocking it backward into a burning cart.
Movement flashed at the edge of Kel's vision. One of Luno's insects shot across the street before disappearing through the smoke. Kel knew the warning by now. He turned and saw two more empty-eyed humans entering from the next street.
"Luno!"
From the ridge overlooking the settlement, Luno sat with his insect jar open beside him. Dozens of insects had spread throughout the northern half of town, crawling along rooftops, slipping beneath damaged carts and flying between buildings.
Luno couldn't see through their eyes. What reached him was stranger than that. Movement, heat, vibrations and sudden disturbances came to him in scattered impressions that his mind had slowly learned to piece together. It wasn't perfect, and tonight there was so much happening that separating one danger from another was becoming harder by the second.
"Three on your left! Don't take the alley!"
Kel heard him faintly over the fire.
"Then where?"
Luno concentrated as several insects crossed the rooftops. Another crawled beneath a damaged fence before continuing without being disturbed.
"Straight! Right at the broken wagon!"
Kel grabbed the father's arm and pulled it across his shoulders.
"Lean on me."
"I can walk."
"You can barely stand."
"My daughter—"
"She's coming too. Move!"
The girl stayed close while Kel carried most of her father's weight. Behind them, the infected followed into the smoke.
Luno guided them from above, changing their route whenever his insects reacted to movement ahead. Kel turned at the broken wagon, cut past an old well and almost entered another alley before Luno shouted for him to stop. A group of infected humans crossed that street moments later.
Kel pulled the father and daughter between two burning buildings instead. Heat slammed into him hard enough that he expected his skin to sting, but the strange sensation he'd experienced earlier returned. The warmth seemed to settle against him before sinking beneath his skin.
His breathing steadied.
The exhaustion in his legs didn't disappear, but some of the heaviness eased. Kel noticed it immediately. He also had absolutely no idea what it meant.
There wasn't time to figure it out.
A beetle landed on the wall ahead and remained there. No sudden movement. No frantic flight. Kel took that as the signal he needed.
"Keep going."
The father stopped and looked at him.
"What about you?"
"There are more people."
"You'll get yourself killed."
Another scream came from deeper inside the settlement.
Kel looked toward it.
"Get your daughter out."
The man stared at him for another moment before finally nodding.
"Thank you."
Kel watched them disappear toward the northern road. The little girl looked back once, and Kel gave her a small wave before turning around.
Three infected humans stood in the smoke behind him.
What bothered Kel was that none of them followed the family. One entered a nearby house. Another checked an alley. The third stared briefly at Kel before moving toward another building.
They were still searching.
Exactly like the elder in the previous settlement had described.
Kel frowned. Whoever those two teenagers were, these things wanted them badly enough to tear through an entire town looking for them.
Another scream came from the next street, and Kel ran toward it.
For the next several minutes, he and Luno fell into the same rhythm they'd developed during their earlier rescue missions. The situation was worse than anything they'd dealt with before, but the work itself was familiar. Luno found danger and open routes from the ridge. Kel found the people trapped inside them.
"Two coming east!"
Kel immediately changed direction.
"Building on your right!"
Kel kicked through the damaged door and found a woman with two children trapped behind fallen timber. Part of the ceiling had collapsed, and flames were spreading across the opposite wall.
"Everybody back."
Kel planted his feet and reinforced his legs and shoulders with Internal Qi. He grabbed the beam and lifted. It moved slightly, then stopped.
Kel gritted his teeth and pushed harder.
Heat from the burning wall rolled across his arms and face. Instead of overwhelming him, the warmth sank into him again. Something inside his chest responded to it, and the Internal Qi already moving through his muscles became easier to hold.
Kel pushed again.
The beam rose.
"Go!"
The children crawled underneath first. Their mother followed, dragging herself clear before Kel finally let the timber fall.
His arms shook afterward. Whatever the heat was doing, it wasn't making him invincible. He was still tired, still sore, and the strain of using Internal Qi over and over was beginning to catch up with him.
"North road. Keep moving. There's a boy on the ridge helping people out."
The woman grabbed his wrist before leaving.
"Come with us."
"I can't."
"Those things are everywhere."
"I know."
"You can't save everyone."
Kel looked past her toward the burning streets. Harven had taught him that lesson too. Sometimes leadership meant understanding when a situation was already lost. Throwing away your life didn't save anybody.
Kel hated that lesson.
"Maybe not."
He looked back at her.
"But I can save you."
The woman finally released him and took her children north.
Kel continued deeper into town.
Every minute gave more civilians a chance to escape, but every minute also made Harven's warning harder to ignore. Kel could feel the stronger Qi presences moving throughout the settlement. Some of them were far above anything he and Luno were supposed to confront.
Harven had demonstrated the threshold himself during training.
If you feel this level or higher, run immediately. No questions.
Kel remembered standing there listening. He remembered thinking it made sense.
It still made sense.
Then a father stumbled from a burning building carrying an unconscious boy, and Kel helped him. An older woman couldn't move quickly enough, so Kel carried her until they reached another group heading north. Two children refused to leave because their mother was missing. Luno's insects found her trapped inside a neighboring house, and Kel went back for her.
Every time Harven's voice told him to run, Kel found another person who couldn't.
Then the entire town changed.
Qi pressure rose near the center of the settlement so suddenly that Kel stopped in the middle of the street. On the ridge, dozens of Luno's insects erupted into frantic movement at once.
"Kel!"
"I feel it."
The pressure kept climbing. Kel could sense two powerful presences close together, both far beyond the level Harven had warned him about.
Kel turned toward the center of town.
"Everybody get away from there!"
He didn't even know who could hear him.
The night exploded.
BOOM!
Light swallowed part of the settlement as a shockwave tore through the streets. Kel was lifted off his feet and thrown through a stack of wooden crates. Windows shattered around him. Walls cracked, roofs shifted, and flames bent violently sideways before surging upward again.
On the ridge, Luno threw himself flat and covered his insect jar while the ground trembled beneath him.
Kel's ears rang so badly that the world seemed silent for several seconds. When sound finally returned, the first thing he heard was screaming.
More than before.
Kel forced himself upright and stared toward the column of smoke climbing from the center of town.
He had no way of knowing that only a few streets away, Roku and Solara were responsible.
After running and fighting through most of the night, the two had finally been cornered by a pair of armored Abyssal beings. Neither Roku nor Solara had enough Qi left for another prolonged battle, and there had been nowhere left to retreat.
They had used almost everything they had in one desperate attack.
Roku's Shadow Soul Qi locked the creatures in place long enough for Solara to strike through the weakened spaces in their armor. When their remaining Qi collided with the Abyssal power surrounding the creatures, the resulting blast tore through the street.
Both armored Abyssal beings went down.
Roku and Solara nearly went with them.
Kel knew none of that. All he could see was what the explosion had done to everyone else.
Part of a building collapsed across the road. Another roof caught fire. Civilians poured from homes and alleys in panic while the infected humans continued their search through the chaos.
Kel started moving again.
"Luno!"
"I'm here!"
"Routes!"
"I'm checking!"
Luno closed his eyes and tried to sort through the flood of information reaching him. His insects were reacting to hundreds of disturbances now. People running. Buildings collapsing. Fire spreading. Infected humans changing direction.
He forced himself to focus on the safest northern routes.
"Northwest street is clear!"
Kel found four civilians stumbling through the smoke.
"Northwest! Go!"
Another cluster of insects changed direction.
"Kel, don't go east!"
Kel turned west.
"Five people behind the stone building!"
Kel found them. One was injured badly enough that two others had to carry him. Kel helped get them moving, then found another family and directed them toward the same route.
Soon there were too many people for him to keep sending north in scattered groups.
Kel looked toward the ridge.
Luno was still there.
The answer came to him immediately.
He hated it just as quickly.
"LUNO!"
Luno looked down.
Kel waved him toward the northern edge of the settlement.
"COME DOWN!"
Luno gathered his jar and ran.
By the time he reached Kel, nearly twenty civilians had gathered near the northern road. Some were injured. Some carried children. Others supported people who could barely walk.
The father and little girl Kel had rescued earlier were among them.
Luno looked over the group and then at Kel.
"What are we doing?"
"You're taking them home."
Luno frowned.
"We're taking them home."
"No."
Luno's expression changed immediately.
"Kel."
"Take them back to Durnfield."
"What are you talking about?"
"Get Harven. Get the Guard. Anybody strong enough to help."
"And you're coming."
Kel looked toward the burning settlement. Empty-eyed humans continued searching the streets. Behind them, heavier figures occasionally moved through the smoke.
"No."
Luno grabbed his arm.
"Are you stupid?"
"Probably."
"I'm serious!"
"So am I."
"Harven told us exactly what to do!"
"I know."
"Then do it!"
Kel looked at his best friend. For once, he didn't have a joke ready.
"That little girl's dad almost died in front of her."
Luno went quiet.
Kel looked toward them. The girl held her father's hand with both of hers, refusing to let go even while another villager helped support him.
"I know what that's like."
Luno's grip loosened.
"Kel..."
"I know what happens when somebody who's supposed to come home doesn't."
Kel looked back at the town.
"I'm not standing here watching kids become orphans."
"That doesn't mean you have to become one of the bodies!"
"I'm not planning to."
"That's your plan?"
"I keep them busy."
Luno stared at him.
Kel pointed toward the streets behind them.
"They're searching. Every time somebody gets in their way, they stop and deal with them."
Luno slowly understood.
"You want them looking at you."
"Long enough."
"For what?"
"For you to get everyone away."
Luno shook his head immediately.
"Absolutely not."
"Then Harven doesn't get told what's happening."
That stopped him.
Kel hated using it, but it was true. Somebody needed to get these people away from the town, and somebody needed to reach Durnfield before whatever was happening spread farther.
"Take them back. Bring help."
Luno's jaw tightened.
"And what are you supposed to do while I'm gone?"
"Fight the infected. Distract whatever I can."
"Whatever you can?"
Kel glanced toward one of the heavier shadows moving through the smoke.
"If the armored ones come after everybody, I'll pull them away."
Luno stared at him like he'd completely lost his mind.
"Those things will kill you."
"Then get Harven fast."
"Kel."
Kel met his eyes.
For a moment neither spoke. They had survived hunger, bad winters, fights and more stupid decisions than either of them could remember. They had almost always survived them together.
This would be different.
Luno finally asked the question that mattered.
"How are you getting out?"
Kel looked toward the insects moving around them.
"Leave some with me."
Luno followed his gaze.
"I'll use them to know what's coming. Once everyone's clear, they lead me out."
"You follow them immediately."
Kel nodded.
"No trying to save one more person."
Kel hesitated.
"Kel."
"Fine."
"No fighting something because you think you can take it."
"I said fine."
"If all the insects start running in one direction, what do you do?"
"Run with them."
"And if you see something stronger than you?"
Kel sighed.
"Luno."
"Say it."
"I run."
Luno stared at him.
"Promise."
Kel didn't answer quickly enough.
"Kel."
"I promise I'll follow the insects."
That wasn't exactly what Luno had asked, and they both knew it.
Luno opened the jar. Dozens of insects rose into the smoky air. Most gathered around the civilians while others remained near Kel, spreading across walls, rooftops and broken carts.
They would be his warnings.
And, if he survived long enough, his path home.
A small voice came from beneath Luno's hat.
"He's scared."
Luno swallowed.
"So am I."
Kel frowned.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Kel knew better than to believe him, but Luno stepped forward before he could ask again and grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't make me come back here and find you dead."
Kel forced a smile.
"You'd never let me hear the end of it."
"I'm serious."
Kel's smile faded.
"I know."
Luno released him.
Kel looked at the civilians.
"Get them home."
Luno turned toward them.
"Everybody who can walk, help somebody who can't! Stay together!"
The group started north.
Kel watched until the last civilians moved beyond the damaged buildings. The little girl looked back at him. So did her father.
Kel raised one hand.
Then they disappeared.
For the first time since entering the settlement, Kel was alone.
Not completely.
Several of Luno's insects remained scattered around the street. One rested on a broken window frame while another crawled across the wall beside him.
Kel exhaled and looked at them.
"Guess it's us."
The insects offered absolutely nothing in return.
"Great team."
Kel turned toward the burning town.
The search had changed after the explosion. Empty-eyed humans moved faster now. Armed fighters entered buildings more aggressively. Groups doubled back through streets they had already checked.
Whoever they had followed into the town had disappeared.
Kel stepped into the intersection.
Three infected humans emerged through the smoke. Two more appeared behind them.
His heart started beating faster.
He could leave.
Luno's insects had already given him a route.
But the civilians weren't far enough away yet.
Kel picked up a broken piece of stone.
"Hey!"
Several empty faces turned toward him.
Kel threw the stone. It struck one infected human across the forehead.
"Looking for somebody?"
Now all five were looking at him.
Kel raised his fists.
"Try me."
The first infected charged.
Kel slipped outside its arm and snapped a jab into its face. Another came from the side. Kel pivoted, drove a cross into its jaw and moved before the others could surround him.
He wasn't trying to beat them all.
He needed attention.
Movement.
Time.
Every second these things spent dealing with him was another second Luno got the civilians farther north.
Kel backed through the burning intersection while the infected followed. Heat rolled over his skin, stronger than before. His body pulled at it instinctively, and warmth sank beneath his skin.
His muscles were tired, but something inside him felt increasingly awake.
Then one of the insects on the wall flew away.
Another followed.
Kel noticed.
The infected humans stopped moving.
Kel's fists remained raised as every insect nearest the southern street began fleeing at once.
A heavy footstep sounded through the smoke.
THOOM.
Kel's stomach tightened.
Another step followed, slow and deliberate. The infected humans moved aside without being told.
A figure emerged through the smoke.
Dark armor covered its body from shoulder to foot. Abyssal Qi pressed outward from it with enough force that Kel could feel the weight against his skin.
His mouth went dry.
Harven's warning returned immediately.
Run.
Kel took one step backward.
Then another heavy footstep sounded behind him.
THOOM.
Kel froze.
He slowly looked over his shoulder.
A second armored Abyssal being entered from the opposite street.
Kel stared between them.
"Two?"
Every insect around him scattered at once.
Kel gave a nervous laugh.
"Yeah. That's probably the right idea."
The first armored Abyssal being approached.
Kel looked north.
Luno and the civilians had gone that way.
If Kel ran toward them now, these things might follow.
He looked west instead. One insect remained on a damaged wall long enough to show him the route before taking flight.
There it was.
His way out.
Harven would tell him to take it.
Luno had made him promise.
Kel's hands shook.
He clenched them.
"Just a little longer."
The two armored Abyssal beings approached from opposite directions, forcing Kel toward the center of the intersection. Heat rolled through the burning street and sank into him again. His Internal Qi stirred in response.
Kel didn't understand what was happening inside his body.
He wished Dyrain were there to explain it. He wished Harven were there to take over.
Hell, right now he'd even take Luno yelling at him.
But nobody was coming yet.
Kel raised his fists and settled into the stance Dyrain had drilled into him over and over. His feet spread naturally. Knees loose. Chin tucked. Shoulders relaxed. Weight balanced so he could move in either direction.
The first armored Abyssal being stopped in front of him.
The second blocked the road behind.
Kel's heart hammered hard enough to hurt.
He was scared.
Really scared.
Then he remembered the little girl holding her father's hand as Luno led them north.
Kel exhaled slowly.
"Everyone comes home."
The first armored Abyssal being moved.
Kel's eyes widened.
It was fast.
Far faster than something wearing that much armor should have been.
Kel slipped sideways.
An armored fist missed his face by inches and smashed through the wall behind him. Stone exploded across the road.
Kel stared at the crater for half a second.
"Oh, shit."
The second Abyssal being charged. Kel barely got his arms up.
BOOM!
The impact launched him through a wooden cart. Kel rolled across the burning street before slamming into the dirt. For a moment, his body refused to move. One of Luno's insects landed beside his hand.
Kel coughed. Blood touched his lips. He slowly pushed himself up. Across the intersection, both armored Abyssal beings turned toward him.
Kel wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His ribs hurt. His arms shook. Every lesson Harven had given him told him exactly what he should do. Run!!!.
Kel forced himself back into his stance.
"Definitely should've listened to Harven."
The two armored Abyssal beings started toward him.
Fire burned around the intersection, and the heat continued sinking into Kel's body. Beneath it, his Internal Qi moved in a way he had never felt before.
Kel raised his fists higher.
He only needed to buy Luno a little more time.
Then he'd run.
At least, that was the plan before both armored Abyssal beings attacked.
End of Chapter 36 — Everyone Comes Home