Edwin’s squad had seen which house the concrete returned to so after a small wait they came stumbling in through the broken door. No one spoke as the room was filled with ragged breathing. They spread out against the walls of the entrance hall, leaning against them for support. Teresa collapsed onto the container at the end of the room. Her crossbow was missing. Nick and Austin no longer carried their spears or shields. Jason, and LJ were still equipped. Shaun had lost his spear but still had his shield on one arm.

From the nearby dining room Edwin called them in to sit down. Slowly, gingerly in some cases, as tight muscles cried out, the chairs around the wooden dining table filled up. The dining room was still in pristine condition. A pretty green and white table cloth lay draped over the table. A tasteful painting of fruit hung on the wall and the chairs were comfy to sit in. The table was large, giving everyone enough room to spread out around it. Edwin sat at the head seat on the far side of the room. Zoey opted to stand against the wall behind him. Her spear propped against the wall. Austin similarly didn’t take a seat. But the others sat down and the discussion started once everyone was settled.

“Glad you guys could make it,” Edwin said flatly. His gaze was piercing as he surveyed them. No one seemed to have been shot, or suffered any other obvious major injuries. They were disheveled compared to when he last saw them. Coated in dirt and sweat, even blood in some cases. Gone were their defiant looks from earlier. They looked run down, and ready to call this whole thing off. Three of them were bleeding slightly, Teresa’s seemed the most severe as she held a rag against her shoulder.

“Since you’re finally here,” Edwin continued to address them, “and not dying in a ditch somewhere. I’d say it’s time to get out of here. I think we’ve seen more than enough of what’s going on with the police camp. Unless you guys wanted to go back out there. Then by all means, be on your way.”

On the far side of the room, Austin leaned against the wall. Edwin’s eyes widened when he caught sight of something. Austin was carrying a familiar looking matte gunmetal gray tube. It had a hand grip and a fancy looking square sight along the top edge. This was the very same laser-bazooka weapon that had scorched a trail across the giant machine’s hull. He cradled it in his arms defensively.

Austin mumbled something under his breath while Edwin stared at him.

“What was that?” Edwin asked loudly. Despite everyone’s heavy breathing the room seemed to grow quiet. The tension in the air ratcheted up. Edwin felt a bead of sweat trickle down his neck.

“I said,” Austin snarled back. “What would a pussy like you know about it?” His right hand snaked onto the weapon's grip, and he swung his left arm through the air.

Edwin chuckled darkly. His face broadcasting contempt. Even if Austin had a fancy gun, he had prepared himself for a fight if it were to come to one. While he and Zoey had been waiting for the others' arrival, Edwin had ducked outside and carried a cinderblock into the entrance hall and set it down and covered it with several pairs of discarded shoes.

He had been worried about something like this happening. A fight seemed inevitable, so he urged the cinderblock into the air and brought it to hover just out of view behind the door frame. A quick test moments before they’d arrived let Edwin discover that he could manipulate objects out of his line of sight if he knew where they were. From where it floated, Edwin could send it rocketing into the back of Austin’s skull. If Austin brought that laser up to point at him, he was going to launch it without further consideration. If Austin wanted to do this, Edwin was ready. So he did not hold back, and called Austin out.

“If you’re so fucking brave then, what’re you doing here? Why’d you run away?”

The questions hung in the air. The bystanders shrunk back while Austin surged up off the wall, advancing closer half a step. Edwin really did not want to kill him. But Austin seemed to be trying hard to convince him otherwise. Edwin had no intention of dying because of this raging man child. His eyes darted from the tip of the laser’s barrel to Austin’s face and back. As he looked the other guy in the face, Edwin noted that Austin's eyes were wide and blood shot. His nostrils flared and his pupils shrunken to pinpoints.

Behind Edwin, Zoey used her shield to casually block sight of her right hand. She had it clenched on the pistol grip protruding from her pocket. She eyed Austin. She had a good angle on him from where she stood. He wouldn’t see it coming.

Everyone else stayed still in tense silence. They were frozen. Bystanders to the drama before them. They had turned against Edwin when he faltered. When they got a first hand taste of what Edwin had been grappling with they found themselves unable to judge him further for it. That he had even gone out of his way to follow after them and send out a message telling them where he was left them uncertain how to feel.

The indecision on how to act in this confrontation was a larger reflection of how uncertain they felt about the changing circumstances around them. How helpless they were before the raw force wielded by those wizards and dealt out by the mechs. The battle outside still raged and each cannon shot jarred them. A constant reminder of the nearby danger.

They could each understand why Edwin had fallen apart. They were just students, and now they were skulking along the outskirts of a huge battle. It was not what Edwin had broken down about that they found distasteful. Now, more so than ever, it was how he had done it. If he had discussed it with them better, or continued to lead them but forced them to stay further away from the fighting then they had bumbled into themselves. He could have convinced them of his side of things with little issue. Instead though, Edwin had just crumbled under the pressure.

Only Austin refused to acknowledge Edwin’s point. He mumbled something else under his breath but he broke the impromptu stare off. His new weapon was never raised. Edwin was relieved to see Austin back off. He never wanted to be in such a tense situation with the guy ever again. If he was to keep this group working together then Austin had to go. Even if he had a skill, the instability he added was too great. With the police now routed, it would be up to them to make sure they kept each other safe. Edwin would never be able to trust Austin with his back.

For now, this defusal would suffice. He would surely continue to be a problem even then, but that was a better option than to keep him around. Edwin rubbed at the bruise on his chest. Things were not over between them.

“Alright,” Edwin said to change the mood. “We need to get the hell outta here. Zoey and I nabbed one of those metal containers that were in the trucks when the flying things flew off. If we leave now we can probably get it back to the dorm unnoticed. It’s probably got something good inside.”

No one objected and the group roused themselves a moment later. Slowly they trickled out of the door and into the street before Edwin started to lead them back the way they had come.

Edwin tasked Nick and Shaun with carrying the crate. Nick didn’t have anything left to defend himself with so it was up to everyone else to keep him safe. Edwin would have had Teresa carry the other side but her shoulder was injured. Since Shaun only had his shield he asked the guy to help Nick. Shaun undid his belt and stuck it through the loop on the back of the shield so it hung at his side.

The container had no handholds. They could only grip the bottom edge and walk with it between them. When they had been rushing this away from the wrecked truck, Edwin had been more focused on moving quickly and searching the sky for enemies. Shaun and Nick were close enough in height that they could hold it close to level between themselves.

They moved quickly away from the cul-de-sac they were sheltered in. Edwin kept an eye on the swirling chaos that filled the sky but none of the combatants spared them any attention. They scurried away from the battle without incident. As they entered back into the town the group spread out a bit.

Austin stomped off ahead of the group by a fair margin. He kept his head on a swivel peering around for something to fight. He seemed eager to test the laser out. Edwin and Zoey walked in front of the crate as the two carried it sideways between themselves. They kept their shields raised and spears at the ready should something ambush them once again. Teresa followed right behind the crate while Jason and LJ trailed behind a bit. It was quiet the entire walk back. No one felt like conversing.

They made good time and didn’t come across anyone. Still, it was late when they arrived back at the dorms. Edwin could see the sun tickling the mountainous horizon to the west. The shadows were lengthening and a chill would soon settle in. He sighed with relief as they arrived. Their journey through the city had been much more than he had bargained for. He was exhausted emotionally and physically.

What Edwin wanted now was to eat, grab a toilet, then fall asleep. He was curious about the container but it would keep until he woke up the next morning. Every face on it was smooth. It had no opening or interface. No keyhole or clasp. There were no creases. It was sealed shut. So he figured the mystery of what lay within it would keep until the morning. As long as that giant mech didn’t come searching for it anyway.

As they approached the dorms from down the road Edwin could hear an unmistakable sound. College students partying. He had been to enough to know the sound by heart. From the sound of it the party was getting out of hand. Raucous laughter and shouts of joy filled the air. The closer they got the more obvious the party became.

It turned out to be much better than Edwin had imagined however. The dorm was quiet. All the noise came from Washaki. His group piled into the wrecked lobby of White Hall. Tall white candles stood lit in the corners and along the window sills of the room. A dozen people sat around in the lobby with an assortment of weapons. They glanced at Edwin as he walked in but seemed disinterested. These sentries looked sullen. Considering they were on guard duty while everyone else was partying, Edwin could sympathise a bit.

Grumbled greetings were exchanged. Austin stormed off to Washaki. The lobby was filled with more piled loot then when they had left. A couple of the guards seemed to be working to ferry the supplies down the stairs into the basement. Edwin wondered how Ava had managed to convince these people to keep to their duties instead of abandoning their posts to join the revelry.

They dumped the crate into an empty corner. Edwin called one of the sentries over. It was someone he did not recognize, they were carrying a golf club.

“Where’s Dan, the healing skill guy?” Edwin asked.

“Dan’s over in Wash,” the guy replied.

“Alright thanks,” Edwin said before waving the unhappy looking sentry away. Behind him, his group had split up. Jason, and LJ were walking back out of the lobby towards Washaki. Shaun and Nick came to stand by him after dropping the crate off. Zoey likewise remained. Teresa hovered nearby a little bit away from everyone else.

“We’re done for the day guys,” Edwin spoke to them. “Go get some food and rest and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

“Let’s eat,” Shaun said gruffly as he gave Nick a small shove. Nick nodded and hurried after his roommate.

“Sounds like Dan’s in Washaki,” Called out to Teresa. She spared him a glance before strutting out with her chin up.

Zoey walked over and patted Edwin’s shoulder. “I’m pretty hungry too,” she mentioned.

“Yeah, let’s eat. I just want to run up to my room real quick. You coming with?”

Zoey nodded and followed Edwin up into the dark staircase as they walked up to his room. Edwin naviagated in the near dark by memory alone and successfully got his key into the lock after some blind fumbling.

The setting sun managed to partially illuminate his room. Edwin set his spear against the wall and placed his shield on the counter by the door. He shrugged off his back pack and placed it on his bed. He rummaged through it before pulling out five magazines. Two were still filled with bullets while the others were empty. He ran his thumb over the top of one filled with bullets. The bullet was smooth to the touch. He turned and handed Zoey one of the two filled ones. He didn’t dig out the spare pistols in the bag and instead pocketed the other magazine.

“I don’t feel like carting those around.” Edwin pointed to his spear and shield. “But I’m not about to go anywhere without a weapon. So if you’d like, you can leave yours behind too and we can try to be discreet with the pistols. I don’t really want it getting around that we have them, so try to keep it hidden. For now anyway. I want to wait and see how things shake out after today.”

“Sounds good, but can I borrow a towel?” Zoey asked as she peered into his dark bathroom. She pulled her gun out and it was sticky with dried blood. Edwin pulled his out as well and found it in a similar condition. He grabbed a full sized towel and brought it out. He released the magazine in his gun and did his best to scrub the worst of it off. Zoey copied him and used the other half of the towel. Edwin slid the magazine back into place before slipping the pistol into his pants pocket. The handle stuck out obviously and Edwin frowned as he looked at it.

“Like this yo,” Zoey called out with a poor imitation of a deep voice. Edwin looked at her and saw the gun stuffed half down the front of her pants, the handle half held by her waistband. Edwin stared dumbstruck. Zoey erupted into giggles at his expression. Edwin felt his eyebrows threatening to jump off his forward and sighed. He let a little smile slip onto his face. He was glad to see Zoey was coping well.

-Frontrunners-

“Are we really doing this?” Edwin asked for the third time as they moved down the stairs. After trying several different methods Edwin had been convinced to keep his pistol in his front waistband. Zoey would not stop giggling. The gun felt awkward to Edwin. The barrel pressed into his leg and tried to slip deeper between them with every step. It felt precariously secured by his waistband. His hand reached down to steady it constantly. Yet with his shirt over it, the gun was better concealed than any other method Edwin had tried. On top of Zoey’s cajoling, he had given in to get them moving. It felt risky and dumb, and now that he was most of the way to Washaki he realized the obvious solution would have been to just bring them along inside his backpack.

Outside on the sidewalk in front of the dining hall, half a dozen charcoal grills were being put to use. Someone manned each grill and they were cooking hotdogs in bulk. Edwin’s stomach rumbled as he smelled the familiar meal. People were hanging out and chatting and Edwin had to wade through them to get to the entrance. He flinched when glass shattered nearby and the crowd roared. Looking over, Edwin saw them congratulating someone who had just thrown an empty beer bottle against the road.

Entering inside let him find that Washaki was busy. Someone had gone to the trouble of preparing a meal and the crowd had already descended. They made it inside in time to see Dan holding an apple up to Teresa’s mouth as she gingerly bit it. She took several bites before Dan withdrew the fruit and waved her onwards. Her shoulder was healed and Teresa peeled the rag off and tossed it into a nearby trash can. Her clothes were still torn up and bloody but she made her way deeper into the cafeteria. Her hunger was more important than getting clean clothes.

People were everywhere and alcohol was in abundance with them. Flushed faces and dopey grins greeted Edwin as he made his way towards where he could see food laid out buffet-style on a table. People were shouting and laughing in every direction. Lit candles were perched everywhere. Small pools of light among the shadows. Zoey stayed with him through the chaos. At the food table Edwin loaded up his styrofoam plate with two hotdogs and some chips. A large punch bowl was at the end of the table. Red solo cups scattered and stacked around it. Edwin used the ladle to pick some up and gave it a sniff. His nose burned slightly and he reeled back.

“Damn that’s spiked,” he said with emphasis. Zoey perked up and eyed the punch bowl. Edwin watched as she ladeled herself half a cup. He felt conflicted. Zoey was still a teen. But she had gone through several life or death conflicts in the span of two days. If she wanted to get a little drunk he wasn’t going to stop her. Infact, he decided to join her. Edwin ladeled himself a full cup and then gestured for Zoey to follow as he led them to a table off to the side of several of the calmer groups.

Zoey gagged when she sipped the punch. Edwin chuckled but agreed internally. The punch was spiked to hell. You could barely taste the fruit juice used to flavor it. The harsh tang of cheap booze overpowered the drink. He sipped on his cup as he worked through his meal. Zoey soldiered through her own and made a face each time she sipped. Edwin had a good meal as he was entertained by her expressions. Talk was sparse between the two. So Edwin cast his gaze around between laughing at Zoey.

There were a lot of people here. Edwin had noticed it during breakfast, but it was really surprising how many had stuck around. They were going to run into a couple huge issues very soon. They would probably be good on food and water and other basic supplies thanks to all the looting done today. His big concern was sanitation. There were about 200 of them in total, and no running water. No way to wash themselves, and all the toilets were rapidly filling up. With no way to flush them the bowls were approaching maximum capacity. He wondered how Ava planned to overcome this looming disaster.

Edwin took the time to do some eavesdropping on what everyone had to say about their day. The rumor mill was churning as people swapped tales and jokes. Most of what he heard was unimportant. Bandied tales of the houses they had invaded and speculation on how the inhabitants had lived based on what was inside. He heard several flattering opinions about Ava and zero comments against her. Public opinion for her was high.

A candle sat on the table between them and it cast enough light for Edwin to notice a red flush creeping up Zoey’s neck. Her posture was relaxed and a small smile was on her lips between bites of hotdog. He could feel the alcohol in his own cup working through him. His stomach gurgled and Edwin grimaced. The alcohol was working through him in more ways than one. He stood up and pushed his chair back abruptly.

“I’ve gotta go,” Edwin said hurriedly before turning and threading his way between the tables and people towards the exit. He ignored the Washaki restrooms, already certain they would be full up. He left Zoey behind without an explanation. She sat there wide eyed and watched his back as he left. Edwin’s movements turned into a jog as he got outside. He refrained from sprinting as his stomach gurgled once more. He moved south of the dorms, and crossed Grand Ave.

All the houses here had broken doors. They had been ransacked throughout the day by eager hands. Edwin picked one and entered it. He walked upstairs. The last rays of the sun trickled in through a window and framed a bathroom at the end of the hall. Edwin approached it and grinned. It smelled clean and had a fresh roll of toilet paper. This was something to appreciate considering how rare something like this was going to become soon.

He emerged from the house a little while later with a content air. He was fed, and ready for bed. The street was dark, save for the faint illumination cast by the half moon and stars. He could barely make out his path back to the dorm. A soft glow spilled out of the dorm's main entrance, highlighting his destination. Those few candles offering guidance to dorm residents returning from dinner. Edwin stopped and stared up at the vault of stars above. Their presence was much clearer without the interference of the city’s lights. The view was extraordinary because of it.

Edwin considered how circumstances stood. The situation did not look good. There was too much uncertainty, too much danger lurking in the streets. Strange and unknown forces were at play. Many were aligned against him in opposition. These foreign invaders and mutated creatures would kill him without hesitation. Atleast, for the moment nothing was overtly threatening them. He had a moment to breathe, to lay down and rest. He would need to prepare himself for what came next. While the dorm lacked any real strategic or material value; they had taken one of those silver crates. The dorm housed a large group of people with minimal ability to protect themselves. They were at the mercy of the greater powers in the city. If they continued to act as they had today, indiscriminately looting, and then partying the night away, they would likely draw the ire of something that would squash them.

Some things stood in their favor though, they had that laser gun, and the crate. The mech forces would likely be busy chasing down the wizard’s troops. Both groups had been very eager to claim those crates. Hopefully they wouldn’t notice one missing and be able to track it back to the dorm. But with magic and advanced technology against them, anything was possible.

There was no way to know. And that settled things for Edwin. It worried him but he had already stolen the crate and if they could open it up, there might be something important inside. The container would still be there in the morning, and he was tired. It was time to call it a night. Whatever tomorrow might bring, let it keep until then.

Lost in his thoughts Edwin didn’t notice the approaching figure bearing a light until they came to a stop and cleared their throat. Edwin flinched back and called out, “Oh whoa, who’s there?”