I'll try and get a couple more out in the next day or so.

Vas walked down the street and glanced from side to side. The ash was now a light coat of grey, which covered the pure white of snow. Vas and his companions were all forced to wear their hoods up with scarves over their mouths, to help filter out the ash.

They’d kept pace for two days now, and by Vas’s estimation they would soon be out of the city.

Selene gripped Vas’s arm and stood slightly behind him. They’d decided this would be the quickest way to get Vas’s attention in case there was an emergency: attach him with a person who could hear.

In addition, Selene was Vas’s partner, so they should be paired together anyhow.

Vas hadn’t given the pairing system much though since losing Jade. It hadn’t been necessary in most cases since the weather had warmed and the Scouts had stuck together the majority of the time.

However, the Scouts would need all the warmth they could get. There would need to be a pair to watch over their sleeping companions. Pairs were once again necessary.

Vas could feel a dull throbbing in his head, and the high-pitched sound had returned in bouts over the past day. At first it would only stay for a minute or two, but now it had plagued Vas for over three hours.

Vas sometimes thought he could hear the whistle air made as it passed through his nose, then he would take a deeper breath and hear nothing.

Vas flexed his left hand and glanced at it. It had fully healed over the past weeks, and he could hold his sword properly again.

He almost hoped they could stumble onto a group of Risen. He hadn’t had a good fight in a while. The Scouts hadn’t even sparred for the weeks they’d been researching. Capturing and subduing unarmed unprepared Sleepers had been largely uneventful.

Vas sighed. He heard a popping sound near his jaw, and suddenly a rush of sound burst into his perception. His breathing, Selene’s breathing, their footsteps, the sound of a creaking door, the deep whistle of the wind running through empty buildings.

It hurt, and Vas clenched his jaw as he covered his ears. “What is it?” Vas heard the first words he’d heard in days. Even muffled because of his hands covering his ears, the voice was beyond welcome. Selene squeezed his arm after a moment, when she remembered that Vas was deaf.

Vas could feel tears gathering in his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself. He could hear himself breathing. Vas’s body trembled with uncontrollable excitement. “I can hear again,” he got out before choking.

Sounds were painful, but not as painful as the silence. Not in the same way.

Selene hugged him. “Why are they hugging?” Alex and the rest of the Scouts had been a few dozen paces behind Vas and Selene’s spotting party but had caught up quickly.

Vas laughed. Alex’s voice hadn’t changed one bit. It was just like he’d been remembering for the past few days.

Tapo reached them first and patted Vas’s back. “What’s wrong with him,” Tapo asked. Selene shook her head and laughed. “He can hear again.”

Tapo gave his first genuine smile in weeks, and hugged them both. “WHAT HAPPENED?!” Alex practically shouted, unable to contain her curiosity. Her steps were a little slower than Tapo’s long strides. “Shhh,” Joust cautioned, “The Risen might not have great hearing, but that won’t stop them from listening in on your shouting!”

“He can hear!” Tapo apparently didn’t care about Joust’s cautioning.

Alex gasped and Joust’s eyes widened. Alex joined the hug, followed shortly by Joust. Azul also hopped in on the hugging.

Zy stood a few paces away, watching them. Fem clapped the man’s shoulder and pulled him to the group, “Hasn’t been news this good for a long time.”

Zy snorted and joined in on the hug. “It was about time.”

“Yeah,” Azul said, “We were getting tired of Alex’s stories.” “Hey!” “We love your stories, Alex.”

Vas just smiled and closed his eyes, listening.

For the next three hours, the group marched together. The buildings grew further apart as they were reaching the furthest reaches of the city.

Protocol and strategic sense would normally push Vas to demand a small advance group.

However, none of the Scouts seemed willing to break away from the jolly squad.

They were at the last intersection. The northern end of the city.

In fact, Vas didn’t notice until it was almost too late.

Vas’s arm jerked straight into the air, signaling everyone to stop.

The Scouts were instantly alert.

The ground in front of them was covered in lumpy ash and snow.

Something seemed wrong. The ground was uncommonly lumpy.

Almost as if there were a thousand bodies lying just under a thin layer of ash and snow.

Ten thousand. A hundred.

Trap.

Vas scanned the nearby buildings briefly and pointed to the closest one on the right.

The Scouts stalked to the building.

Just as Vas was about to enter it, there was a deep cold laugher. Cold like snow, screeching like the wind. It rasped like the unsheathing of a great blade.

Vas knew the laugh. He stopped and turned to the intersection. In the middle stood a seven-foot-tall skeletal being partially covered by a dark tattered cloak, holding a scythe.

To Vas’s side, Alex held up the Joker card.

“Nocturnal.” The creature hissed as it smiled. The lumps of ash stood, revealing thousands of Risen.