Back in the present, nearly an hour had passed since Dave and his two wives had departed from the merger's base. The paws of the beasts they mounted echoed faintly against the cracked pavement as they made their way through a desolate street lined with broken lamp posts, faded walls and multiple corpses.
The wind rustled through the skeletal remains of once-thriving gardens, carrying with it the scent of scorched earth and something faintly metallic; like rust, or dried blood. This was the state of the place Eric had described to them.
He'd spoken with urgency, eyes flicking toward the horizon as he gave them the address and description of the place. His voice had held a quiet tremor when he mentioned it—his aunt and what little remained of his family might still be hiding there. Or maybe not. He didn't know for sure. He only said he had to check.
Then he left them.
