Smoke still filled the air, thick with the scent of blood, sweat, and gunpowder. The facility was in ruins, fire licking at the shattered remains of the research center. The battle had been brutal, and though they had won, the weight of their losses pressed down on them like a storm cloud.
Jaxon, his face smeared with dirt and blood, leaned against the open door of the runaway van, wincing as he clutched his injured side. Celeste sat beside him, quietly patching up a deep gash on Christy's arm. Everyone was exhausted, bruised, and bleeding, but they were alive.
Most of them, at least.
Rea looked around the van, her heart thudding. Something was wrong.
Her voice was sharp, cutting through the heavy silence.
"Where's Aster?"
Everything stopped.
Jaxon, who had been taking a sip from his water bottle, froze. Christy's hands stilled against the bandages. Celeste's eyes widened.
No one had seen him.
A cold wave of dread swept through Rea. She turned to Jaxon. "You were fighting with him, weren't you?"
Jaxon hesitated. "He wasn't with me the whole time. I—I thought he went after Collaway."
Rea's breath caught.
Oh no.
Andrew, who had been standing by the van's rear doors, pushed himself upright. "We have to find him. Now."
Eric, who was leaning over a laptop, monitoring security feeds, cursed under his breath. "Most of the cameras are fried. I can't track him."
Rea felt panic rising in her throat. "Then we search the damn ruins."
Andrew nodded, already moving. "Christy, Eric—you're with me."
Rea tried to follow, but Celeste caught her arm. "Stay here," she said firmly.
Rea yanked her arm away. "Not a chance."
Celeste gave her a look, one filled with concern and something deeper. But Rea wasn't going to sit back and wait. Not when Aster could be—
She swallowed the thought before it could fully form.
Without another word, she ran into the dark.
---
The facility was eerily silent now, nothing but the distant crackle of flames and the occasional groan of collapsing debris. It was hard to believe that just minutes ago, it had been a war zone.
Andrew led the way, his expression carved from stone. Christy followed close behind, her fingers gripping a pistol tightly. Eric moved next to them, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of movement.
Rea trailed slightly behind, her heartbeat roaring in her ears.
The deeper they went, the worse the destruction became. Walls had caved in, bodies littered the ground—soldiers, Collaway's men, their own fallen comrades.
Rea's stomach twisted.
Then Andrew's voice cut through the silence.
"There."
Rea's head snapped up.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Aster.
Lying on the ground, motionless, his body half-slumped against a crumbling pillar.
And next to him—Collaway.
His father's corpse lay sprawled across the dirt, his chest a mangled mess of blood and steel. The blade was still lodged deep in his heart, the final strike that had ended him.
But Rea didn't care about Collaway.
She was already running toward Aster.
"No, no, no—" She dropped to her knees beside him, her hands trembling as she reached for his face. "Aster."
He was pale. Too pale. Blood soaked his shirt, spreading from his stomach in a slow, dark pool. His breathing was shallow, ragged.
Andrew knelt beside them, his fingers pressing against Aster's throat. "He's alive," he said, voice grim. "Barely."
Christy swore under her breath. "We need to move. Now."
Eric pulled out a radio. "Jaxon, we found him. He's hurt bad. Get the med supplies ready."
Rea's hands hovered over Aster's wound, unsure of what to do. There was so much blood.
His eyelids fluttered. A weak groan escaped his lips.
Rea exhaled sharply, relief and fear crashing over her at the same time. "Aster," she whispered, brushing the blood-matted hair from his forehead.
His eyes cracked open just slightly, hazy with pain. His lips curled weakly. "Took… you long enough."
Rea let out a shaky laugh. "Idiot."
Aster winced, trying to move, but Andrew pressed a hand against his shoulder. "Stay still," he ordered. "We're getting you out of here."
Aster's breath hitched, pain flashing across his face. But then his eyes flickered to Collaway's corpse. A tired, bitter smile ghosted his lips.
"I got him," he murmured.
Rea swallowed the lump in her throat. She should've been happy. Collaway was dead. The war was over.
So why did it feel like they were still losing?
"Yeah," she whispered. "You got him."
Aster's eyes started to close again.
Rea shook him. "No, no, stay with me. We're almost out, okay?"
Christy was already helping Andrew lift Aster up. Eric stayed close, covering their backs in case any last threats remained.
The night was finally ending.
The mission was over.
But the scars it left behind?
Those would never fade.