A deep boom threw August from his feet as he entered the dolo foyer. He got back up, did all he could to resist thinking about the source of the boom, and pushed onward to keep himself alive. The whole nest was going to blow. That much was certain. He flashed his light around frantically and found the slight seam that must’ve been the entrance slit. He dove head first. Light engulfed him as he landed hard on unforgiving rock. He raised the face shield and took in a breath of fresh, delicious air.

The squad was waiting there, gathered around the entrance. Each had a somber air about them. Belmont was seeing to the general, but her face was even more gloomy than the others. Dalton West was explaining something to Hilde, who dashed toward August the moment she saw him.

August got to his feet in time to catch her embrace, and they kissed right there in front of everybody. He wanted it to last forever, but something gnawed at him, and he pulled away. “We’ve got to keep moving.” He didn’t know why he was so sure about it, but he had a gut feeling that the exterminator wasn’t exaggerating when he said something about running as far away as they could while they could.

It didn’t take any convincing for the others to follow. West and Farscout carried Wolf up the path. Belmont ran ahead of everyone as August stayed back with Rosek, who must’ve been practicing on her crutches while they were in the nest because her speed had greatly improved, but it was still slower than the others. Even West and Farscout, who carried a fully grown, fully armored man, managed a bit more speed.

They stopped about halfway up the ramp as another explosion went off. This one sounded loud as if it went off outside, but it still came from the direction of the nest. Everyone took a moment to look.

Yellow puss and nasty pink chunks oozed from the slit in the tissue wall. It spilled out onto the rock and sizzled everything it touched. They’d all have died had they not moved. August put a hand on his heart in respect to Sterling.

“Can you believe what we’re looking at?” Belmont’s words were barely more than a whisper. She looked at Rosek. “Why didn’t you warn us about the reinforcements?”

Hilde pursed her lips.

“That beast howled and fifteen flyers came at us from the tunnels.”

“I didn’t see anything out here,” Rosek said.

“They must’ve already been in there somewhere,” West said. “I’m thinking that nest was a lot bigger than we thought. Secret rooms, maybe.”

“Let’s get out of this valley,” August said.

They turned away from the madness and continued toward the surface.

They reached the top of the path, stopped, and looked around for a bit. It felt good to be on flat land again and felt even better to be so far from the nest. They seemed to be alone, so West and Farscout gently lowered Wolf to the ground, and Belmont was on him immediately.

Farscout worked the bolt action of his rifle. “I’ll keep watch. There’s more than just bugs in these parts.”

“We shouldn’t stay here long,” West said. “Those blasts were loud. Wouldn’t be surprised if a swarm was on its way.”

August cursed under his breath. When would it end? He knelt beside Belmont to keep an eye on the general. Hilde hopped over to him on her crutches. She cleared her throat awkwardly before speaking. “So… did Sterling really…”

August simply nodded.

She put a hand over her mouth. “That’s awful.”

Belmont worked Wolf’s armor open and grimaced at the sight of the wound. The general unleashed a deep cough which made the medic jump. She laughed. “Good to see you’re still with us.” She reached into her medic pouch and pulled out a military-issued bottle. She pierced a needle through the little plastic lid and sucked clear liquid into her syringe.

Wolf grabbed her wrist before she could pull the needle from the bottle. “I want your medicine.”

“But, I thought—”

“I trust you more than a God damned manual, Colonel.”

Belmont nodded, sniffled, and rummaged through her pouch again. She pulled out a small sack of herbs, likely some that she’d gathered in secret at some point in their travels. She smiled. “You won’t like the taste, but it’ll help with the—” She dropped everything and wept.

“What’s wrong?” August asked, but the answer was right there in front of him.

“He’s gone,” Belmont sobbed.