It was still early when they were on the move again, but General Wolf wanted to leave before first light. He explained that the last thing they’d want would be to arrive at the nest during dusk. They’d like as much light as they could get. August assumed the inside of the nest would be void of any light and that the time of day ultimately wouldn’t matter, but again, he held his tongue.

The last of the dew had evaporated as the squad marched on in a wordless line. This was the day. Unless some unforeseen obstacle surprised them, this would be the day that they finally reach the nest. August was waiting for the butterflies, but they hadn’t come yet. He’d expected them to be buzzing up a storm in his gut, but he felt more focused than anything. He wasn’t confident in their chances by any means, but the fear he’d expected was absent, at least for now.

The thorny bushes had quickly shifted from sparse to gone. It made way for an endless sea of loose sand that was even harder to tread through. Rosek’s mech suit whirred harder than usual as she’d sink past her ankle with every step. The terrain wasn’t doing much to help August’s healing knee. He shrugged. This is still better than where we’re going.

He glanced at each squad member and felt a strange weight fall upon his shoulders. They were his family now, whether he liked it or not. Vern’s message made it clear that they weren’t going to be allowed back into the dome. They never really talked about that fact as a group. It was more of some semi-forgotten issue in the background of everything else. The odds of surviving the nest were low. Maybe that was why they’d never really talked in depth about anything that might come afterward. There wasn’t likely to be an afterward.

For almost an hour now, the only sound August could hear was the constant ‘one, two’ of Rosek’s heavy metal footsteps. But now, something else appeared. Faint at first, it didn’t take long for the sound to rise and overpower the mech suit’s marching. Motors.

Wolf raised a halting fist. Farscout readied his rifle. His eyes were wide and wild. August followed their horrified gaze, and his reaction was much the same. The MoShun skybeam was ready to fire and fully charged. Everyone in the squad had readied guns. Motorcycles. About twenty of them cruised their way. A cloud of sand followed.

Each bike carried a man in black leather, black denim, and black sunglasses. Some had leather hats, some had black or red bandanas, and some simply let their black hair flow in the wind. One had a lengthy braid of silver that trailed his balding dome like the tail of a shooting star. Each packed massive rifles that put Farscout’s to shame. Shotguns.

A wall of sound reached the squad way before the motorists did. August had witnessed the airways and lower district streets under the dome, both during rush hour, but those sounds never came close to the monstrosity that assaulted their ears now.

He was surprised to see the bikes do so well in the soft sand. They looked like street bikes. Not much different than the ones still used in the lower districts. Then he saw the tires. They were fat and had jagged grips that bit into the sand and somehow kept the bike and heavy man atop it afloat as if they were driving on flat concrete.

As they drew nearer, August could make out their faces. He’d expected to see them all grinning, but each face he saw was still and emotionless. Whatever they were about to do to the squad was something they’d done a thousand times before. Our modern weapons and armor don’t seem to worry them. Even the mech isn’t enough to dissuade them.

“Gun’s ready, General,” West said. “I can start picking them off anytime.”

“We don’t know their intentions,” Wolf said.

“Yes, we do,” Farscout’s voice cracked. “They mean to round us up, kill us, and take everything we have. Trust me.”

“That’s likely,” Wolf said. “But I cannot act against them until I’m certain.”

“Forgive me, General,” Sterling said. “But that’s horse shit. You don’t report to anybody anymore, remember? We were sent here to die, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do unless we act.”

“I agree,” Rosek said before lowering her face shield and readying her arm guns.

Wolf looked to the ground, deep in thought. The bikers approached.

“Please, General Wolf,” Farscout said. “These are the Chrome Chargers. They’ve done unspeakable things an unspeakable amount of times. They’ve never once done anything good or charitable. They’ve never worked together with anyone. It’s kill or be killed with these guys. You have to trust me.”

A stronger wave of engine revs hit them as the bikes were nearly in vintage shotgun range.

“General, my sniper rifle won’t be of much use soon,” West said.

“We gotta attack,” Belmont said.

Wolf continued staring at the sand while the Chrome Chargers readied their shotguns. They were mere yards away from being in range. He let out a deep cough that was barely heard over the thunderous cavalry of engines.

“General!” Sterling shouted. “They’re too close! I’m gonna start shooting. Self-defense trumps a general’s order.”

The nearest biker raised his shotgun and took aim. August could see the chrome skull pins on their jackets. He had to act quickly. They couldn’t all die just because the general was frozen in indecision. He aimed his rifle at the nearest man, aimed, and f—

“Ace!” Wolf’s voice boomed over the motors. “Flank them from the left. Farscout, you get’em from the right. Rosek, attack them head-on, and the rest of us will spread out and get low.”

August held his breath and let go of the slight pressure he’d already applied to the trigger. He nodded, exchanged a ‘good luck’ look with Farscout, and the two were off. Farscout took a much rounder and bigger arc to get into position than August did, but that was understandable considering his lack of armor.

Once everyone was in position, they waited for Wolf’s signal. Farscout didn’t. The guide blasted his gun, but nothing happened. He didn’t even hit a bike. His bullet whistled wide and sent a jet of sand upward about three hundred feet away from August.

Wolf glared at the guide, who stood stone-cold with nervous eyes. Farscout watched the bikers who didn’t even seem to notice his failed attempt, and his hand shook as it came up to work his rifle’s bolt action. The Chrome Chargers seemed dead set on attacking the squad directly. Wolf waited. He watched as a few of the bikers aimed their guns, apparently confident in MoShun’s armor technology.

Rosek ran for the group of bikers. She’d already made it halfway from the squad to the oncoming enemies. Despite her being suited up in what was basically mobile cover, August couldn’t help but worry. It was still twenty against one.

Sweat dripped down all over his body, making it miserable to stand in the armor with the face shield down. He glared at General Wolf, internally begging for the signal to start firing. Why are we letting them make the first move? He gritted his teeth and held his finger a fraction of an inch over the trigger.

Belmont and Sterling aimed their pistols. Dalton West sank to one knee and kept his sniper rifle aimed, maybe hoping to take multiple targets out with a single shot. August had seen him do it before, but these were intelligent men, not a mindless swarm of oversized insects.

It all happened at the same time. Wolf gave the signal. The ground started to shake as if thunder had begun to roar in the clear sunny sky. Chrome Chargers squeezed their breaks and skidded through the sand in an attempt to turn away from the squad. Each shot the squad had taken missed, as they’d all fired where they’d anticipated their targets to be.

Rosek was the only one who still had a clear shot. She aimed her arm, focused on the bikers who were already driving away. August had seen what looked like fear in their faces as they abruptly turned around. He wondered why it had taken them so long to realize the folly of their charge. Rosek fired. Her shot nailed one of the bikers in the spine. The man was thrown forward over the handlebars. His bike continued over him and went on for a few more yards before toppling and sliding in the sand.

It wasn’t long before the fallen man’s idle engine was the only sound left as the bikers were out of sight. The squad converged, and everyone made sure everyone was alright. Sterling put a hand on Farscout’s shoulder. “Can you please explain to me what just happened?”

Farscout, who was still shaken up from the encounter, took a moment to compose himself before answering. “I don’t understand it, either. I’ve never seen them or heard of them retreating like that.”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Wolf said. “They saw us as clearly as we saw them. They weren’t surprised by anything. They knew exactly what they were up against long before they got scared and ran off. What are we missing?”

“The rumble,” August said.

Everyone looked at him.

“Didn’t you guys feel it?” August said. “It happened right as General Wolf gave the signal. Felt like thunder.”

Sterling looked to the sky.

August answered before the obvious was stated. “I know it wasn’t thunder. But I also know it wasn’t the engines. I don’t care how loud their motors are. There’s no way they could have caused that rumble.”

Farscout turned away from the squad and looked around in every direction.

“What is it?” Wolf asked, but the guide ignored him.

Rosek raised her face shield. Her face was wet with sweat. “I guess I’d better go confirm if mister leather over there is dead or not.”

“His spine blew apart,” Sterling said. “Pretty sure you got it done.”

“Better make sure,” Rosek turned away and took heavy, sinking steps toward the fallen man and his idle bike.

“Turn his damned bike off while you’re at it,” Dalton West called.

Rosek acknowledged the request with a raised mechanical thumb.

August turned his gaze toward Farscout. The guide was frozen and staring at the ground around his feet. August saw it, too. The sands near the guide shifted like the surface of a river. The circle of moving sand was maybe ten feet in diameter. It hovered around Farscout’s feet for a moment but then snaked its way toward the squad. The thunderous rumble returned as the circle of sand made its way toward them.

“General!” August shouted. “Nine O’clock!”

Wolf looked to the left and gasped. The others looked, too, all but Rosek, who continued toward the fallen biker.

“What the Hel is that?” Belmont asked with fearful, bulging eyes.

“Dolo!” Sterling raised his voice and back-stepped away from the oncoming circle.

“What are you talking about?” Wolf asked.

“It’s a big one,” Sterling’s voice shook. “Biggest I’ve ever encountered, and it’s moving fast under the sand. As easy as if it were swimming. Judging by the size of that circle, this might be the biggest dolorium ever recorded.”

“Keep clear of the circle!” Wolf shouted loud enough for all to hear. Rosek didn’t seem to notice as she continued toward her victim unperturbed.

“Hilde!” August called out to her.

She didn’t hear.

The circle abandoned the squad and shifted its way south. It was on a direct course with Rosek. August started for her, but Wolf’s strong arms were on him before he could break away. “Let me go! We have to warn her!”

“You’ll get yourself killed, Private,” Wolf said. “Soldiers, get your guns ready. We’re gonna blast the living Hel outta that thing the second it pokes its ugly head out from that sand!”

Everyone got into position. August tried shouting after Hilde again but got nothing. Her helmet must’ve blocked the sound. He wanted to run after her again, but he could feel Wolf’s eyes on him. The circle was almost upon her. “Wolf, that thing is gonna come out right under her!” August shouted at his superior officer.

“It won’t get a chance to do anything,” Wolf said. “We’ll blast it to shreds before we even get to see its ass.”

August wasn’t so sure. Judging by Sterling’s pallid face, this thing was going to be monstrous. He wasn’t taking any chances, especially with Hilde’s life. He raised his rifle and fired toward the sky. Wolf shouted. “Hold your fire!”

Rosek stopped, turned back, and August waved until he finally got her attention. She waved back. He pointed two fingers to his eyes, then down to the ground. Rosek’s mechanical head looked down just as the massive circle passed beneath her. Rosek turned around to follow the circle with her gaze instead of running back to the squad like August hoped she would.

Everything stopped.

“Come back!” August shouted to Hilde, but she showed no signs of hearing or heeding.

“I guess it ran off,” Wolf said. “We got lucky twice.”

August wasn’t convinced. “Hilde, please! Get back over here.”

“Don’t worry, kid,” Dalton West said. “She’ll confirm that kill, and she’ll be back. Doesn’t look like that dolo wanted anything to do with us either.” He forced a chuckle. “Can’t say that I blame him.”

The rumble returned just as the sniper spoke. More than just audible this time, August nearly fell over as the ground wavered like an earthquake. Farscout did fall. Sterling was quick to help the guide back to his feet, but he almost lost his own footing in the process.

August looked at the general. Wolf’s gaze was elsewhere. He made a break for it and was already a few quick strides closer to Hilde before Wolf started shouting after him. The soft sand was difficult and frustrating to tread through. A voice in the back of his mind was asking what he’d even be able to do if he got there in time, but none of that mattered. He just had to get there, make sure Hilde came back with him to the squad, and they’d all be on their way before anything happened.

Too Late.

The rumbling roared back. There was barely any time between the shaking and the darkness breaching the surface of the sand. The horns came out first. They were black and shiny, though they reflected no sun. Two massive horns that looked like they belonged on a bull more than an insect grew from either side of the black, twitching head that erupted from the sand.

August stopped in his tracks as the monster continued to emerge. He could hear gasps and curses from behind. Rosek froze. A tough shell-protected thorax came next. A natural pattern of what looked like a grinning face seemed almost painted on the shell in an ugly shade of brown. Elytra that looked hard as steel protected soft under-wings as hairy, twitching legs skittered and darted to help with the grotesque ascension.

The monster’s back legs finished pushing its ample weight from the sand, and it stood on its hind legs like a man for a moment. It stood as high as the church they’d slept in a few nights back before it let itself fall to all six legs.

August braced himself for impact as the beast plummeted toward the ground, but nothing happened once it got there. The springy legs absorbed the impact perfectly, and there was only a thud upon landing. Not even the sand was disturbed by the fall.

The creature’s head went to work right away. It moved with speed that seemed impossible relative to its size. The whole thing made August sick to his stomach. He wanted to yell for Hilde again, but his voice caught in his throat. He was frozen in fear, though the massive dolo had yet to notice any of them. It was too busy with… What the Hel is it doing?

The idling motorcycle choked and fell silent. The only sound left in its absence was the sudden gusts of wind that were starting to whip up loose sand, and a strange, bone-chilling crunching.

“Vanno, save us,” Dalton West said from where the rest of the squad stood. “It’s eating the bike.”

“We have to get out of here while it’s distracted,” Sterling said with none of his usual confidence.

“It knows we’re here,” Farscout said. “There’s no running away now. The second one of us moves, it’ll strike.”

“What are we supposed to do then,” Sterling snapped, more panicked than angry. “You’re the expert, so tell us.”

“There’s nothing we can do,” Farscout said grimly. “We can only wait to see what it does. It might only be interested in the gas.”

“The bike ain’t the only thing with gas in it,” Belmont said.

August thought he knew what she was getting at, but he turned around to face her. She couldn’t possibly mean what he thought she meant.

“It takes like ten days for corpses to get all gassy, right?” West ran a shaking hand over his brow.

Belmont nodded. “You’re right. It’s just here for the bike. It’ll leave us alone.” Her bulging eyes betrayed her confident words.

A gut-churning swallowing sound drew August’s attention back to the monster. What was left of the bike came crashing back to the ground, summoning a cloud of sand around it. The beast turned around. It might as well have teleported with how fast it moved. Now it towered over a motionless Rosek. It knew she was there. It watched her. Whatever it was going to do next had nothing to do with the corpse at its feet and everything to do with Hilde Rosek.

August found his strength and started for her—his rifle held high and ready.

Farscout and Wolf both shouted after him. Hilde turned to look toward the screaming, and the dolo struck. Its head whipped forward, almost detaching from its body. The horns cut through the air, causing a blood-curdling hiss. Mandibles opened wide, making way for a stream of swampy drool to splatter into the sand.

Rosek looked back just in time but never had the chance to move. The mandibles closed in around her. The mech suit was lifted off the ground as if it weighed no more than a feather pillow.