How did I end up in this fucking mess?

The thought crossed Josh's mind more than once as he made the trek from the Greywood to the pilgrim camp. It wasn't a particularly long journey, but it was a lot more tiresome without being able to listen to the news or his podcasts.

A year ago I was minding my own shit and wasting my business scholarship screwing around with Ryan. How I am a National Guard liaison now?

It had been three days since the blackout. They'd gotten a messenger going by now, which meant a guy riding his bike all the way out to the edge of the zone and back. Based on rough satellite guesses—thankfully, the zone didn't extend that high above the forest, though it was high enough to affect aircraft passing overhead and the FAA was now routing everything around it just in case—the zone encompassed a twenty two point three two mile radius around the city of Rallsburg.

Why that number, anyway? Was it just random? Did Natalie pick it? It had to be Natalie, right?

Josh didn't like not knowing what was going on. He prided himself on keeping up with everything. Listening to news and podcasts whenever he took walks or relaxed was just one way of staying on top of things. At his cabin, he maintained a half-dozen news feeds. Cinza loved looking like she had the whole world figured out, but in truth, Josh probably knew more than anybody else about what was really happening.

Until Saturday. Until Natalie decided to knock out everything in the Olympic Forest, because…

Because what? The hell does she got against the internet? She's a kid, shouldn't she love shit like that?

Josh laughed aloud. He barely considered himself an adult until the last couple months—until he'd suddenly taken on so much responsibility, so much work, throwing himself into warzones at the drop of a hat… fuck it. If I'm not an adult, nobody in the world is.

"What?" asked Joe McKinney.

Josh shrugged. "Remember when the biggest thing to us was whether you supported the Blazers or the Lakers?"

"Yeah, and you're still wrong. The Blazers are gonna crush 'em this season."

He's so out of touch… "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

Josh shook his head. "Nevermind."

"...Uhh," said Joe, confused. Josh just kept moving—the pilgrim camp was in sight now, and he didn't really feel like talking anyway. Joe was only with him because he didn't feel safe on his own anymore. Otherwise, he always took these walks alone, enjoying the solitude.

Crazy how a phone was the only reason I did feel safe. Just because I had a dozen people I could call, both military and awakened, to come save me? The hell was that gonna do if I got ambushed?

"You want me to go back to being pissed off?" asked Joe. "Because I'm still pissed off at you."

Josh sighed. "Dude, just… get over it."

"Like you got over Rika?"

He shrugged. "Okay, yeah, it took a while. But I'm not your best friend, and I didn't go behind… fuck it, why am I bothering? It's Nikki's damn choice."

"Whatever, dude. Just goes to show it's true what they say."

Okay, redneck asshole. Josh kept moving, not rising to the bait. Shouldn't have slept with her. We're too tight-knit. It's causing social unrest, and since my stupid black ass decided I had to stick around and keep Cinza on track, I've gotta actually stay diplomatic here. But… damn is Nikki good in the sack. Fun out of the bed, too. Joe missed out there.

"Is she doing okay?" Joe asked suddenly, his voice much softer than before.

Josh was taken aback. He hadn't expected honest concern from Joe here. He slowed down a little, turning to face his companion. "Yeah, why?"

"I dunno… last time I saw her with Cinza, she was all confused and shit, like she didn't really know what was going on."

He frowned. "When was that?"

"Couple days ago?"

"She'd just done some more big spells," said Josh with a shrug. "Sometimes it throws her head out. She always comes back though."

"What if… what if she doesn't one day? Like… you know…" Joe winced.

"Like Jessica," finished Josh.

"Yeah."

Josh shrugged. "She knows what she's doing."

They had to stop talking then, as one of the soldiers was rushing over to meet them. Joe pulled his grey robes on tighter—no way does he actually believe what the rest of them do, he just got that to impress Nikki—warding off the cold. Josh raised a hand in greeting.

"Mr. Miller, sir. Captain Hoskins has requested you in the command tent at your earliest convenience."

"Thanks, Davies," said Josh, and the man looked slightly impressed by his recognition—his uniform carried no visible name from the front. Pays to be good at faces. Rachel's not the only one with a good memory. "Joe, go do whatever."

"Dude, you aren't in char..."

Josh walked away before Joe finished his sentence, grinning slightly. Davies led him through the camp, which was recovering well from the attack on Friday night. People were still trying to organize an effective way to get home if they needed to, and the food carts were dwindling, but the MREs and other supplies were sustenance enough to get them through the winter if need be.

Fuck me if I'm spending the winter eating that shit though. At least the Greywood has fresh food and good cooking supplies.

"Josh!"

Captain Hoskins emerged from his tent, crisp and clean as always. Josh was impressed—he had magic for an easy hot shower and staying clean. The captain was managing it all old-school. They shook hands.

"Anything happen?"

"A long walk," said Josh with a shrug. "Nothing new. Just keeping the lines of communication open."

"We're about to get the last run of wounded out today," said Hoskins. "I hate to lose another humvee, but at least we know the first one made it out."

"How'd you get it running?"

He shrugged. "We didn't. It's a downhill run."

"...Damn," said Josh, grinning. "Well, we confirmed it got out. Guess they started it as soon as they hit the border."

"How far—"

"Thirty-six kilometers."

Hoskins whistled. "If I'm understanding magic right, that's a huge area to cover with a single spell."

"Biggest we've ever heard of," said Josh with a nod. "Whatever that girl did, she did it well."

"Why, though?"

"If you find out, you tell me."

"Why don't we find out together?"

Josh raised an eyebrow. "Meaning what?"

Hoskins glanced up the hill to the north, where the treeline—which a few days ago had been lit up with rifles as far as the eye could see—loomed like a foreboding wall, denying them entry. "Rallsburg's not that far away."

"Sir," spoke up a soldier nearby. They both looked around, surprised.

"...Private Deeks?"

"Sir, requesting permission to accompany you to Rallsburg."

"You were with Natalie's squad, weren't you?" asked Josh.

Deeks nodded. "Yes, sir."

Josh resisted rolling his eyes—feels dumb as hell to have all the soldiers calling me 'sir', but whatever.

"We hadn't even decided we were going yet, private," said Hoskins.

"Nah," said Josh. "We should. Better us than some half-cocked idiot stumbling in and setting off something worse, right?"

"So what does that make us?" asked Hoskins, smiling slightly.

"Full-cocked idiots," said Josh. He grinned. "Let's go."

Deeks led the way, Josh and Hoskins only a short distance behind. They didn't take anyone else—none of them wanted to scare Natalie with the appearance of an invading army. Hoskins left the camp with his best lieutenants in charge. The three of them trekked through the forest, approaching Rallsburg in a straight line, not trying to conceal themselves in the slightest.

As they emerged through the trees, Josh expected to see the burned, collapsed buildings. Instead, he found… open air. Even the foundations were gone, and grass already filled the space where they once stood. It was as if the buildings simply never existed.

"What the hell…" he murmured.

A gunshot rang out. Dirt exploded from the ground in front of them. A wolf growled from not-so-far away.

"Turn back."

"Fuck," Josh snapped. "Rook!" he called out to the forest around them. "Put the fucking gun down! We're just here to talk!"

"None may enter."

Gwen growled again, somewhere not so far away, but none of them could tell precisely where the wolf might be, or the sniper who seemed to be everywhere at once. Josh didn't think it was magic, especially given what he'd heard about Rook, but still…

"Enter where?" called Hoskins. "What are the boundaries? All of Rallsburg?"

"Rallsburg is dead. There is no Rallsburg."

"What the fuck…" muttered Josh.

"Hey," called Deeks. "We're just lookin' to help the kid, all right?"

"Turn back," called Rook again. "You will be not warned further."

"Let's get out of here," said Josh urgently under his breath. Before I get shot doing something idiotic here. "We're not getting anything from her."

Hoskins nodded. "We'll call this in," he muttered. "As soon as we get back."

The soldiers turned to leave, heading back to the camp again, but Josh hesitated. He squinted into the town, through the light fog hanging over the expanse, peering through the trees which vaguely outlined the roads that used to outline the town. In the distance, opposite the shrouded visage of the old library, he could barely make out a silhouette of something new.

Something massive.

"Josh!" hissed Hoskins. "Come on!"

Josh turned and walked away, his mind lost in wonder.

What the hell is Natalie doing?