The sun hung high in the sky, the relentless rays beating down on the parched ground as they trudged through the forest leading up to the cabin. At the front of their little group, Kassandra ranged ahead to scout for any aliens. She never seemed to tire and possessed almost superhuman hearing and eyesight.

  Warren still hadn’t figured out Kassandra’s superpowers. While the combat deck was labeled Superhumans, she didn’t have any easily discernible powers. Then again, more than a few comic books featured femme fatale assassin types. Maybe she was just extra fast and deadly.

  Which would make sense with the way she had dispatched the Daskians. She had cut through them like a scythe through wheat. In the span of a few seconds, she had taken down four of the warriors.

  If a poor quality minion that cost 1 Energy was so deadly, he worried about what he’d face in the future. After all, the squire he’d spotted in the city had been level 11. Most likely, the horned alien had been expanding his deck for years and would have numerous high-quality minions.

  If he was going to face the Daskians again soon, he needed to grow stronger. And fast.

  Valentina wiped a sleeve across her brow. “Is it always this fucking hot here?”

  Kassandra slowed and glanced back. “We’re in a bit of a heat wave... and a drought.”

  “We are?” Warren asked. “I knew it was hot, but I didn’t realize we were having a drought.”

  “We sure are,” Kassandra replied. “My dad was having to truck in water because his well dried up.”

  “Damn,” Warren swore softly. Until now, he’d been planning to use the well at his dad’s cabin for their water supply. But if the groundwater was drying up, then there was no telling how long it would last. He would just have to add it to his ever-growing list of problems. The thought of Kassandra’s dad made him pause. “Should we check on Thomas?”

  Kassandra shook her head. “He went down to Florida last week.”

  “In the middle of summer?”

  “In his words, if you’re going to be hot, you might as well do it on a beautiful beach.”

  He could understand Kassandra’s dad’s logic. The weather was one of the main reasons why he’d moved down to Florida himself. After living in the rainy, cold mountains for most of his life, the sunny climate of the south had seemed like paradise. As long as you worked in an air-conditioned building, of course.

  I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t come back home for my dad’s funeral?

  He knew for a fact he wouldn’t have become a squire. And while a lot of bad things had happened to him here, he was grateful for the chance to hit back against the invaders. But more than anything, he was glad he hadn’t left his sister to face this invasion alone.

  I’m getting her back, no matter what.

  The sight of the wood shop’s roof in the distance gave him a surge of relief. He glanced over at Valentina, shocked at how well she’d been holding up. Once they were safely inside, he wanted to check on her wound. She was looking a bit pale, but nothing out of the ordinary—at least not for someone who had been stabbed and then hiked all morning.

  None of them said anything as they reached the front yard and marched past the ruins of the cabin. Somehow, Kassandra still looked completely fresh. Not a single hair on her head was out of place, and she looked bright and energetic. Even her makeup was perfect. Meanwhile, he felt ready to keel over.

  At the thought of Kassandra, he veered toward the cabin. “I’ll meet you inside,” he called over his shoulder. “I just need to grab something first.”

  Warren stepped through the front door of his old home and tried to ignore the devastation. He stopped just inside the doorway and grabbed the picture of his mom and dad hanging on the wall. He barely remembered his mother—she’d died a week before his fifth birthday—but he didn’t want to lose the only picture he had of his parents together.

  He stopped at the couch next. Thankfully, none of the weapons had hit the furniture. Once he was finished with his task, he’d ask Kassandra to help him move it into the wood shop. He’d need somewhere to sleep tonight with Valentina using the cot.

  His next stop was his dad’s bedroom. Most of the beam weapons fire had been concentrated on the back of the cabin, with the kitchen and the bedrooms taking the brunt of it. After walking around the scorched remains of the bed, he spotted something gleaming on the floor. When he bent down, he realized it was his dad’s wedding ring. The simple gold band shone in the light as he pocketed it.

  Finally, he walked into the room he used to share with his sister. It hadn’t been easy sharing a room with a teenage girl. But they’d never had much money, and his dad couldn’t afford a place with three bedrooms. His father had always talked about building an addition to the house, but he’d never gotten around to it. As he and his sister had grown older, he’d started sleeping in the living room to give her some privacy.

  Warren tried not to dwell on his sister as he raided her dresser to grab some clothing for Kassandra. He opened up the drawers to inspect the clothing she’d left behind after she departed for the marine corps bootcamp. Then he grabbed an armful of shirts, some pants, and finally some shoes from the corner. If Kassandra wanted to borrow some undergarments, she could take them herself. Because he was not going into his sister’s top drawer.

  With the clothes in hand, he hurried back outside. He slowed at the sight of the Slaviigolaris corpses rotting in the sun. A few adventurous crows were pecking at one of the bodies. But most of them lay untouched where they had fallen.

  At first, he couldn’t understand why they all hadn’t disappeared when he’d slain their leader. But now he suspected the ones attacking him in the kitchen had been from a combat deck. It was the only thing that made any sense. Meanwhile, the others must have been soldiers attached to their leader.

  He scanned the bodies and tried to think of a solution to deal with the rotting corpses. If he left them out in the sun much longer, they’d start to cause health problems for them. But he couldn’t exactly burn them—the last thing he needed was a giant plume of smoke marking their location.

  However, he couldn’t see any other solutions. He didn’t have any heavy equipment to excavate a pit for the bodies. And it would take the better part of a day to dig it by hand. The only other option was to store them somewhere cold—like in the morgue at work—but his father hadn’t owned a walk-in freezer.

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  I think I’m going to be on gravedigger duty tonight.

  Maybe one of the girls would have an idea of how to deal with the corpses. For now, they needed to rest and plan their next move. He wanted to obtain an alien set of armor to save his sister as soon as possible. Then he could use it to infiltrate the town.

  Warren entered the room to see Valentina sitting on the cot while Kassandra was examining the half-completed mailbox.

  Upon seeing him, Kassandra gave him a brilliant smile. “I always loved Chester’s little creations. You know, my dad had one of his wood carvings hanging in our kitchen. What did it say again?” She pursed her lips and cocked her head to the side. “Oh right, it said To Live Without Hope is to Cease to Live. I always loved that saying.”

  “I don’t remember my dad making anything like that.” Warren dropped his bag on the floor and rubbed his shoulder. “Most of the stuff I saw him build was silly.”

  “He made it long after you left,” Kassandra said. “My mom was in the hospital at the time, and I think it was his way of saying don’t give up.” She paused and her smile faded. “You know, I really liked Chester.”

  “Me too,” he said softly.

  Before he could add to his statement, Valentina stood up and pulled out a flask from her backpack. “Who wants a drink to celebrate?”

  “Celebrate?” Warren stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “What do we have to celebrate?”

  “Because we just kicked the alien’s asses!” She unscrewed the top and offered the engraved metal flask to him. “You may not know this, but we’ve been getting our butts kicked up and down the seaboard. Hell, my squad couldn’t take down a single one of those whale looking bastards. But we just took out a bunch of the horned ones!”

  “They have my sister,” he replied coldly. “I can’t celebrate while she’s their prisoner.”

  “She’s alive,” Valentina countered. “A lot of other people can’t say that about their family. Between your deck thingy and the platoon I’m coming back with, we’re going to make the aliens regret taking her. I promise you—we’re going to get her back soon.”

  Kassandra stepped forward, her high heel boots clicking against the concrete floor. “I’ll drink to that.” She took a swig from the flask before grimacing and coughing. “It’s not exactly smooth.” She then glanced over at Warren. “I wouldn’t worry about Lisa if I were you. Your sister is so tough that by the time we return to town, the aliens will be begging us to take her back. Assuming she doesn’t escape on her own.” She held out the flask to him.

  At first, he wanted to refuse the alcohol. But then he realized they had defeated the aliens twice now. Something that a highly trained green beret squad apparently hadn’t been able to accomplish. Though he suspected Valentina’s squad had run into a squire who had used a combat deck against them. Still, his sister was alive, and he had the means to get her back. The situation could be far worse.

  He put the clothes he was carrying aside and then took the flask from Kassandra. He took a sip, and it felt like liquid fire going down his throat. He had to fight down the urge to cough. At his reaction, his friend descended into a fit of laughter and didn’t stop until he shot her a glare.

  Kassandra turned to Valentina, who was also giggling. “What is that stuff?”

  “Mezcal,” the blond-haired woman said with a grin. “It takes a bit of getting used to.”

  Warren took another sip, this time enjoying the smoky flavor. While it wasn’t terrible, he doubted he’d make this his drink of choice once this was all over. A lot of people around here enjoyed moonshine, but he’d always been more of a beer drinker himself.

  Valentina retrieved the flask from his grip before returning to the cot. She took a dainty sip and sighed with happiness. “My grandpa used to always get in trouble for sneaking this back home. Grandma used to chase him around the yard with a big wooden spoon every time she caught him drinking. But I totally get why he risked it.”

  The young green beret placed the metal flask aside and then shrugged off her jacket. Underneath, she was wearing a tight tank top, which accentuated her impressive curves. She had a completely flat stomach, with just a hint of abs showing through the thin fabric. And the swell of her cleavage was on full display from the plunging neckline of the shirt.

  Warren found himself momentarily distracted as Valentina leaned back on the cot, her firm breasts straining against the tight shirt. Her baggy uniform had done an amazing job of hiding her impressive figure.

  He shook his head, realizing that a pleasant warmth was spreading from his stomach. Normally, he’d never stare at a woman he barely knew. But he hadn’t had much to eat over the past two days, and the liquor had gone straight to his head.

  Just as he was about to avert his eyes, Valentina caught him looking and raised her brow. But she seemed more amused than annoyed.

  Damn it, he thought to himself. I’m a doctor. This is completely unprofessional behaviour with a woman I’m treating.

  He cleared his throat and walked over to his bag. From inside, he grabbed one of the colas. Maybe a bit of caffeine would help to clear his mind. He opened the can with a hiss and then chugged half of the sweet liquid without stopping. As he lowered the can, he realized that Kassandra was looking at him with a strange expression on her face.

  Had she caught him looking, too?

  Warren needed to change the subject. He walked over and grabbed the first aid kit. Maybe if he mentally switched to doctor mode, he’d stop acting like an idiot. With the kit in hand, he marched over to the cot.

  “I’d like to check on your wound.”

  “Whatever you say, doc,” Valentina replied.

  Warren sat down next to her and then lifted his head to speak to both of them. “I’d like your opinions on the best way to get some suits of armor for us.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Valentina said. “Why not upgrade your deck more first? You gained a level after the fight near the town, right?”

  He nodded as he lifted Valentina’s shirt to reveal the bandage. He then gently pulled the tape off one side of the gauze. “My main priority is getting my sister back. I can’t waste time on anything else while the aliens have her in captivity.”

  “I’m with her,” Kassandra said. “If you can find a way to grow stronger, I’d do that. At least you’d be safer when you go after the aliens.” She paused before continuing. “I… really don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “What if something happens to my sister in the meantime?” He examined the wound, relieved to see there was no sign of infection yet. But just to be safe, he put on a pair of gloves and then applied a generous amount of antibiotic cream. He really wished he had some access to proper antibiotics, though.

  Valentina flinched slightly from his touch but didn’t make a sound. Once he was finished, she continued, “I didn’t see any sign of people getting killed in town. And you said you can’t leave this area, right? I bet that means the aliens can’t leave either. They’re probably going to use their captives as forced labour or bargaining chips. I know I’m just a lowly corporal, but if you can get an advantage before a fight, you take it.”

  Warren gritted his teeth as he mulled over the woman’s words. His first instinct was to rush back to town, capture a few suits of armor, and then save his sister. But he keenly remembered the enemy squire, who was level 11. If he ran into him again, he’d almost certainly lose a fight.

  “I’ll decide what to do later,” he said. “First, we need to find a way to get rid of the alien bodies out there. And then we need to take stock of our supplies.” He pointed at the pile of clothing he’d left on a table near the entrance. “I grabbed some of my sister’s stuff for you to wear, Kassandra. I don’t know what will fit, but there’s more in the house.”

  “You’re a life saver!” Kassandra exclaimed. “I thought I’d be stuck looking like a fetish model forever.” She hurried over and grabbed the clothing before looking around the room. “Where should I change?”

  Warren gestured at the washroom. “It’s clean enough in there if you want to use it.”

  Once Kassandra had locked herself in the washroom, Valentina turned to look back at him. “Anything else you want to check out, doc?”

  “I think you’re good for now.” He placed a few new pieces of tape on the gauze. He would have to remember to change the dressing sometime later today. With their limited medical supplies, he didn’t want to waste them. “For now, just try to get some rest.”

  As he stood up from the cot, the metal frame squeaked in protest at his movement. He walked over to the window and gazed outside. He knew he should get some rest himself. But his sister was out there, and he couldn’t stop thinking about the terrible things the aliens could be doing to her.

  They’re right, he thought to himself. I need to grow strong enough to defeat the Daskian squire.

  He decided after lunch he was going to set out to find the dungeon he’d seen on his map. But the second he reached level 11, he was going to free his sister.