It felt like hours. It must have been hours since they had crossed the border of the edge. The sun was setting, and Eien started to feel cold. Aino was still passed out next to him. He had recovered from his shock and was able to assess their situation.

He waited for as long as he could, and then he started to search around to see what was past the edge.

He had been relying on Aino since she was the one who knew where they were going and had some sort of sixth sense for knowing what would happen. But she was out of the game for now, and he had to pull his own weight and make decisions.

He felt a strong sense of inferiority hit his gut like a pound of ammo.

He squashed it into another recess of his brain and stood up.

There was more grassland. He saw some small copses of trees in the distance, surrounded by tall grass. He walked a few minutes east towards the trees, leaving Aino and the packs behind. He took his gun because he was cautious, but he was not looking to use it.

More wind blew through, causing him to shiver from his sweat.

The trees were old enough not to be bothered by humans. He examined the dirt and did not see anything unusual.

The wind smelled of smoke and char, like the earth belched up its innards, wafting its lunch in the air.

Eien went back to Aino and checked her breathing again.

"Ugh. Are you gonna make me carry you?" he asked out loud, nudging her with his foot.

She did not stir.

Cursing under his breath, he hooked her arms under his bag so that he could drag her upright without having to hang on to her with his hands. It was all too heavy to carry, but maybe he could get them to the trees so that they would not be out in the open.

He tried to put her down gently but ended up dropping her with a thunk. He shifted her to her side and tried to make her seem smaller.

He attempted to erase their tracks to the trees, and he checked their equipment once more. And then he set his eyes on her, still passed out, breathing gently in time with the long minutes. As long as she was asleep, he would be awake and alert. After all, he owed her his life. And he had nowhere else to go.

After she killed the conscript at the ceremony, she was only spoken about in hushed whispers.

"I heard she is from a rich family, going to become a top general."

"No, man, she belongs to the government. She is like a military experiment."

"She looks kinda hot."

"Uh uh. Fuck that. She will pull out your eyeballs, cut off your balls, and shove them both down your throat till you choke out and then stab you till you die. That's the SQOD."

"What?"

"The Stone-faced Queen of Death. She's deadly.”

“Stop talking about her. You’re inviting bad juju. She can hear us even now.”

Eien stayed silent around his comrades. He was not going to risk attracting her attention at all. He remembered the look on her face when she killed one of them. It was blank.

So far, he saw her at their morning workouts and during their evening drills. She would stand off to the side, watching them all.

He had been in the military for the two-year training, and now, they were approaching the time when they would be assigned somewhere for more specialized training.

He joined the military at twelve, a year younger than the requirement for conscription, because his family needed more money. At fourteen, he was one of the youngest recruits, though certainly there were a few other boys who were younger than he was. At eighteen, he was supposed to be released back to his family. He was not sure he was going to make it until then.

In the hushes of the camp, he heard stories of death. One conscript was killed simply for looking at an officer wrong. Another conscript was killed accidentally in training. Some of the weak ones, the ones who were unable to keep up with the rigorous routine, disappeared. Of course, these were secret. Commander Era's bold move made him realize how expendable they really were.

It made Eien work harder. He had Mari to get back to. He promised her he would make it back to her.

Then Aino made a move.

“Duncan! Get your ass over here!” screamed the sergeant at one of the larger conscripts during a morning training. Duncan jogged over to him.

After speaking for a bit, Duncan jogged off in the direction of Aino’s complex.

Shit, she had her own entire, goddamn complex.

New training conscripts had never been allowed to go over there. It was just a big ass building with guards stations around the entrances. Everyone tried to avoid it before, but now that the SQOD was around, no one wanted to be within ten feet of the damn place.

Eien watched Duncan jog to the door and talk to the guards. He was let inside.

Ice seeped into Eien’s heart. It was one more thing to fear in this hellhole.

At dinner, everyone was talking about Duncan. He had skipped dinner and went straight to his bunkhouse, his face looking like a slab of meat.

“I heard he said something stupid and that was his punishment.”

“No way, Duncan barely says anything. It must just be bad luck.”

“I hope I don’t get called by that crazy bitch.” Eien left the hall early, sneaking a much beloved cigarette outside the hall.

He blew out smoke, feeling the sleepy feel of the tobacco hit his blood stream. He had found a perfect spot between two buildings in the shadows. Sneaking cigarettes was discouraged, but it was not as big of a problem. It was also insanely difficult to get cigarettes unless you had a hookup with one of the officers who were allowed to go out of camp.

And then he spotted a white flash in the corner of his eye.

His heart froze as he dropped his cigarette, rubbing it into the ground with his foot.

In the darkness, her amber eyes met his.